Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title, The First Man Ever To Do So

The last time you're here, it must be because you read our previous post, which is Roger Federer Looks To Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title, and that is what truly happens, Roger Federer won his fifth Cincinnati Title, the first man ever to do so by beating the 2nd seed of the tournament, also one of the big three, Novak Djokovic. Which even surpasses his wildest childhood dreams.

“When I was a kid, I wasn’t thinking of winning five Cincinnatis,” Federer said after his semifinal win Saturday over his Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka. “But then again, here I am in this great situation being able to do it — the first man ever.”
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Federer followed through Sunday, winning the Western & Southern Open for the fifth time with a breezy, then bruising 6-0, 7-6 (7) victory over Novak Djokovic of Serbia.
Federer, 31, bullied his way to his third Masters 1000 title of the year with a nearly untouchable serve, which rarely surpassed 130 miles per hour but hit corners and lines consistently. 
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
He became the first player to win a tournament of this level without ever having his serve broken. He did not face a single break point in the final, and faced only three in the tournament.

Djokovic had not been broken, either, in his four matches in the tournament going into the final. But he was broken by Federer in the opening game of the match, and then twice more en route to losing the set, 6-0, in just 20 minutes.
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
“I was hoping for a good start — but not like that,” Federer said. “I’ll take it.”

The crowd, which was in Federer’s favor at the outset, turned its attention to Djokovic, hoping to propel him into competitive form. And when Djokovic held serve to open the second set, the crowd roared in relief, causing Djokovic to break into a toothy grin as he walked to his chair for the changeover.
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
The players traded holds throughout the second set, often with ease, as they sprinted toward a second-set tiebreaker. In what looked to be a tight final between the ATP No. 1 and No. 2, only one of the 18 games in the match even reached deuce.

But the tiebreaker made up for the lack of drama in the preceding stages of the match, as Federer raced out to a 3-0 lead before Djokovic reeled off four straight points to take the lead.
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
After saving a set point for Djokovic at 6-7 in the tiebreaker with an overhead smash, Federer sealed the title on his second match point with a crosscourt shot from the front of the court, knocking it away for a clean winner and raising his arms above his head in triumph.

So Roger Federer won his fifth Cincinnati Title, which also means Federer’s fifth title at the tournament was his 21st over all at Masters 1000 tournaments, tying the absent Rafael Nadal for the most in a career.

Djokovic played down the significance of the result as it pertained to the United States Open, the final Grand Slam event of the year.
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati Title
“The conditions here are quite different from U.S. Open,” he said of the courts. “It’s a bit slower there, which I think goes in my favor a little bit more, more suitable to my style of the game. I’m going to have a week that I think is very necessary for me right now mentally and physically.”

Roger Federer Won His Fifth Cincinnati TitleDjokovic, the reigning Open champion, added buoyantly: “I have made more than I expected after Olympic Games. I lost only one match in two weeks on two 1000 events, which is great success. So I’m actually feeling good about myself at this moment. I really look forward to New York.”

Though he may feel good about himself, Djokovic has lost his last four matches against fellow members of the ATP’s Big Four, a far cry from his dominance in 2011. He lost in the French Open final to Nadal, in the Olympic semifinal to Andy Murray, and in the Wimbledon semifinal and the final here to Federer.

“It’s been another amazing week for me, and I’m having a magical summer,” Federer said during the trophy ceremony. “So it’s obviously very nice. And I’m excited about New York now. But I’ll first savor this one for a bit.”

So that's it for the tennis news today, Roger Federer won his fifth Cincinnati Title, and he is the first man ever to do so. If his 2 other biggest rivals are aiming to break those records, then they will need at least 6 years to do so, because both Rafa and Novak has never been the champion in this event, not even once, that's why they also called this Cincinnati Tournament, one of Roger's Town, so true, right? It sure did, because Roger proves they are right, Roger Federer won his fifth Cincinnati Title. Nothing more to say.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Roger Federer Looks To Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title

Four-time champion and top seed Roger Federer surely looks sharp to win his fifth Cincinnati Title as he turned in another flawless performance, schooling Australian teenager Bernard Tomic 6-2, 6-4 with 27 winners.

“Overall I'm happy. But it's hard to judge my game in these quick conditions,” said Federer, the Olympic silver medallist, who however admitted that his serve was “a bit off”.
Roger Federer Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer To Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
“It was a good performance, I'm playing as well as I want to right now,” said the Swiss great.
Roger Federer Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer To Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Second seed Novak Djokovic barely broke a sweat against Nikolay Davydenko, who was nursing a shoulder injury and only lasted 30 minutes before quitting after Djokovic took the first set, 6-0.
Roger Federer Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer To Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Davydenko had 10 unforced errors and eight double-faults.

“This is not the way to win a match, it was clear that he was struggling physically,” Djokovic said. “I just hope he will be fit for the US Open.”

Canadian Milos Raonic upset fifth seed Tomas Berdych with 20 aces in a 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 win.
Roger Federer Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer To Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Olympic bronze medallist Juan Martin del Potro, who missed 2010 due to right wrist surgery, had troubles with his left wrist, but pushed through the pain to notch a 7-6 (7/2), 2-6, 6-1 win over Serbia's Viktor Troicki.
Tenth seed Mardy Fish continued to perform well on his home cement courts, beating Czech Radek Stepanek 6-3, 6-3 with seven aces and 23 winners. Fish will next play Federer.
Roger Federer Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer To Win His Fifth Cincinnati Title
Roger Federer who looks really sharp to win his fifth title in this Southern & Eastern Cincinnati Title will most likely meet one of his arc rivals, Novak Djokovic, it will surely be a hot match to watch for.

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

London Olympics Silver Medalist Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000

Even thought it's just been like how long? Two weeks tops, but the london olympics silver medalist Roger Federer is Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000. People from the Cincinnati are eagerly waiting for the so called "town owner" Federer to play. The World No. 1 took last week off to recover from a productive grass circuit which included a Wimbledon title and an Olympic silver medal. In his first hardcourt match since a stunning loss to Andy Roddick in Miami, in what should be a breeze, Federer, a four-time Cincinnati winner, opens against former American Alex Bogomolov.
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 Olympic Silver Medal
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 - London Olympics Silver
“I play to win everywhere I go to,” said Federer, “otherwise I’m not just going to show up and play for a couple matches and then pull out and then I don’t have a chance to win. I’m here trying to play well, and that’s it. Then we’ll see. The preparation for New York, that’s going to happen next week. But this ain’t the preparation week, this is tournament week.”


Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 Wimbledon 2012
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000
Federer said that the biggest challenge in transitioning back to hardcourt is the wear and tear on the joints because the cement’s strong footing allows you to max out your movement. “That’s not something the body has been used to for the last three to four months maybe since we finished in Miami,” he said. “And then obviously the jet lag comes into it and the whole thing. I made sure I got here as early as possible so I eliminate as much risk as possible of getting injured coming to the hard courts.”
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 Previous Trophies
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000
One player who hasn’t made any sort of transition to hardcourts is Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard remains sidelined battling bad knees, and Federer spoke of his friend and rival.
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 Training
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 - Training
“I was going to write him and check on him because I can’t believe he’s been out that long,” Federer said of Nadal. “I thought the Olympics, okay, that’s fine. That’s a personal choice. I thought for sure we would see him in Toronto, but now he missed Toronto and Cincinnati. It’s very surprising, because it was nothing that we heard of prior to the injury. He played so well on clay, and then actually seemed fine at Wimbledon. He had more time by losing earlier at Wimbledon. So it came as big surprise now, these two pullouts for me. Even the Olympics, too. So I’m sad for him. I hope he’ll be back for the Open.”
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 Djokovic Rivalry
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 - Djokovic Rivalry 
Toronto winner Novak Djokovic is also in action today against Andreas Seppi. After a tough, but successful week in Canada, it will be interesting to see how much Djokovic puts out or is able to put out in Cincinnati. Hardcourt is his best surface, but will the strain of the summer schedule catch up to the Serb who will be defending his US Open crown in two weeks? One thing is for sure, Novak is beaming with confidence again after the Toronto title.
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 Djokovic Rivalry 2
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 - Djokovic Rivalry
“It means already a lot to me now because of the circumstances that I’ve had in last month and a half playing a lot matches, a lot tennis on grass courts, and then having the very emotional Olympic Games and coming in late to Toronto and trying to get used to the surface that I haven’t played on for four, five months,” Djokovic said. “Then the time zone and all those things, which take time. Obviously that’s something that I didn’t have. I had to get used to it in two days and play my first match. It turned out to be a great tournament for me, a tournament that’s going to give me a lot of confidence now.
You know, I love playing on hard courts. It’s my most preferred surface. Hopefully I can try to continue that run.”
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 Djokovic Rivalry 3
Roger Federer Ready For Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 - Djokovic Rivalry
So, do you think that Roger Federer is ready for the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 event? Or should the World No.1 Roger Federer worried for his current arc nemesis Novak "Djoker" Djokovic? The tournament's opening match for Roger should really tell if Roger Federer is ready for the Cincinnati ATP Masters 1000 event or not yet? All we could do is wait, so we'll wait together, eagerly.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka Through To Indian Wells Quarters

Indian Wells, California: Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka Through To Indian Wells Quarters as first Roger Federer outlasted hard-serving Milos Raonic 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-4 under the lights in the fourth round of the BNP Paribas Open on Tuesday night, extending his run of winning 35 of 37 matches since last year's US Open.

Rafael Nadal didn't have as much trouble in sunny conditions, beating countryman Marcel Granollers 6-1, 6-4.

It was similarly easy on the women's side for top-ranked Victoria Azarenka and No. 2-seeded Maria Sharapova, who won their matches in just more than an hour to reach the quarter-finals.

Ana Ivanovic defeated Caroline Wozniacki 6-3, 6-2 in a match-up of former Indian Wells champions and former top-ranked players. Ivanovic served out the match with a 40-love game to complete her biggest win over a top player in months.

Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka To Indian Wells Quarters
"I was really looking for opportunities, and trying to come in as well whenever I had chance," Ivanovic said, "...and trying to step in from both sides and trying to stay calm in my serve and execute the way I was executing in practice. I really managed to do that well."

Wozniacki's loss ensured she will drop out of the No. 4 spot in next week's rankings, while keeping the tournament without a back-to-back women's winner since Martina Navratilova in 1990-91.

"She just went on a roll. She started to hit the ball harder and it was going in," Wozniacki said. "I stepped back a little bit, and it gave her the time to do what she wanted."

Raonic came into his first match against Federer having won 16 of his previous 18 matches this year, but he fell to 0-7 against top-eight players with the loss.



Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka To Indian Wells Quarters
"I thought before the match I had a chance to win this," he said. "I did a few things well in the first set, and after that he just picked it up on the return. I don't think I served as well after, either."

Federer broke to open the second set and broke again in the seventh game to even the match. In the third, he broke Raonic to go up 4-3. Raonic held at love to get to 5-4 before Federer won four straight points to close out his 73rd consecutive win against a player outside the top-20.

"I was getting to the ball often in the beginning, but just not making the plays," Federer said. "I was able to improve, and once I got that going maybe his serving also just dropped a tiny bit and gave me more opportunities on his second serves. That was a big second set for me to get momentum, particularly the first break of the second set."

Federer hasn't been feeling well since he arrived, blaming sickness among his family rather than the viral illness that has knocked eight players out of the tournament.

"Slow improvements," he said. "I'm still not 100 percent."

Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka To Indian Wells Quarters
Nadal, ranked second in the world, has won his past 10 matches against fellow Spaniards, and 22 of his past 23 sets against them. Granollers, who has risen from 50th to 26th in the rankings over the past year, cracked a 132-mph serve during the match, but he couldn't overcome Nadal's quickness and touch.

Nadal served out the match in a deuce game, then drew cheers from female fans when removed his shirt and toweled off courtside before donning a warm-up jacket.

"I didn't play my best in the second," he said. "I had a few mistakes, especially for the backhand. But I am happy that I finished the match well."

Nadal plays No. 21 Alexandr Dolgopolov in the quarter-finals.

Azarenka, a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Julia Goerges, moved on to play fifth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska, who advanced when American wildcard Jamie Hampton retired with cramping in the third set trailing 3-6, 6-4, 3-0. Azarenka (20-0) and Radwanska (20-3) have the most match wins this year on the WTA Tour.

Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka To Indian Wells Quarters
Sharapova, who lost to Azarenka in the Australian Open final, beat Roberta Vinci 6-2, 6-1, and next plays an all-Russian quarter-final against 20th-seeded Maria Kirilenko, who beat No. 30 Nadia Petrova 6-1, 5-7, 6-2.

"I was pretty solid and I think my pace didn't allow her to come forward as much as she would have liked," Sharapova said of Vinci.

On the men's side, fifth-seeded David Ferrer lost for just the second time this year, 6-4, 6-3 to Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. Ferrer had already won three titles this season, and was seeking his 20th match win.

Istomin set himself up for a fourth-round match against No. 9 Juan Martin del Potro, who defeated Fernando Verdasco 6-2, 7-6 (6). Verdasco failed to convert on six break points in the match.

"Verdasco is a really difficult opponent, especially in the beginning of the big tournaments," Del Potro said. "He's very, very tough, very dangerous, and I think I made a good match. I got lucky in the second set when I save five set points, and then in the tie-break he made the double-fault to give me the first match point."

Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka To Indian Wells Quarters
David Nalbandian defeated 10th-seeded Janko Tipsarevic 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, while Thomaz Bellucci advanced when Nikolay Davydenko withdrew because of illness. There was no immediate confirmation whether Davydenko was suffering from the same viral illness that has swept through the Coachella Valley.

Azarenka next will try to equal Serena Williams' consecutive victories streak of 21-0 to begin 2003.

"If I relax my butt a little bit, somebody's going to come and kick it," she said, laughing.

Azarenka, who has won two other titles this year, is 3-0 against Radwanska this year, with two of their matches going to three sets.

"She's someone who always comes up with something different," Azarenka said. "She's a little magician, if you can call it that."

Federer Nadal Azarenka Through To Indian Wells Quarters
Azarenka beat Radwanska in straight sets last month in Doha, during which Azarenka injured her ankle. She kept playing, but appeared to be in pain and was visibly distraught. Radwanska later said she "lost a lot of respect" for the 22-year-old Belarusian because her behaviour wasn't a good image for women's tennis.

"I actually never had a problem with her," Azarenka said on Tuesday. "She's a great player, great girl, so nothing there is to discuss."

Hampton earned her first win against a top-20 player when she beat Jelena Jankovic in the second round and the 22-year-old from Auburn, Ala., was having her best tour-level results yet when she fell down early in the third set.

"She was really hitting the ball very well, very consistent, good serve and moving very well," Radwanska said. "I just noticed when she fell down. It's always tough, especially that you can't really have medical time-out for that. It's tough to come back."

Other winners were No. 6 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga; No. 7 Marion Bartoli; No. 8 Li Na; and 18th-seeded Angelique Kerber, who beat American Christina McHale in a third-set tie-breaker.

That makes all the tennis fans happy as Federer, Nadal, And Azarenka Through To Indian Wells Quarters.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

On-Fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week

Happy now that On-fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week, as we see The Swiss world number-3 has triumphed times at the state-of-the-art Indian Wells Tennis Garden & will be difficult to beat on the hardcourt surface along with his defensive skills now possibly better than ever.

With his confidence sky-high after winning of his last seven tournaments, Roger Federer returns to of his favourite venues for the Masters Series event beginning this week.

Long regarded as of the most elegant & aggressive serve-and-volley players of all time, Federer has had to improve the resilience of his baseline game in recent years in a bid to blunt the twin challenge of Rafa Nadal & Novak Djokovic.

On-Fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week
"I've been confident," Federer told reporters in the build-up to the first Masters Series event of the year, referring to his impressive run of form since his semi-final loss to Djokovic at last year's U.S. Open.

On-Fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week
"I've been playing aggressive, I was one time focused & I didn't doubt my ability. I am defending much better than I was one time in the midst of last year when I felt like I could not come out of hard defensive positions.

"I could kind of turn it around. Now I must keep going."

"I've had a great stretch," said the Swiss, who beat Andy Murray 7-5 6-4 to win the Dubai Championships on Saturday. "It's about maintaining the lovely work & hopefully playing even better tennis, or at least maintaining this level of playing."

Though Federer has not claimed a grand slam singles crown since the 2010 Australian Open, he's piled up ten ATP World Tour titles in the coursework of that span.

On-Fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week
'BEST TENNIS'


Federer, a 16-times grand slam winner, has always loved competing in the California desert at Indian Wells.

"I've had some great finals, giant matches, & I always enjoy playing at Indian Wells. The surface suits my game, my slice stays low, the kick goes up & the ball travels quickly through the air."

"This event has worked out well for me, winning titles in a row & playing a quantity of my best tennis here," said the 30-year-old, who is seeded to meet Nadal in the semi-finals.

On-Fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week
Despite losing to Federer in last week's final, Murray also arrives in the California desert with high hopes.

"I did everything lovely (last week)," the Briton said. "I was happy I managed to fine-tune to the court after a couple matches, because I was one time struggling at the beginning of the week.

Australian Open champion Djokovic, who beat Spaniard Nadal in last year's final at Indian Wells, is the top seed with Nadal seeded second, Federer third & Murray fourth.
On-Fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week
"It turned out to be an excellent week. The conditions in Indian Wells are going to be different, a much slower court, which hopefully will suit my game a little bit better."

Among the leading contenders in the women's competition, beginning on Wednesday, are holder Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus & second-ranked Russian Maria Sharapova.


We're so excited to see the On-fire Roger Federer Back To Indian Wells This Week, how about that?

Friday, March 2, 2012

Player Profile: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic began playing at age four and made pro debut at 16…Plays with a double-handed backhand...Nicknamed "Nole"…Father, Srdjan and mother, Dijana…Owner of company, "Family Sports," which has three restaurants, a tennis academy, and a range of products, featuring his likeness on mineral water, candy bars, sugar, clothing, cups, among other items…Uncle, Goran, is tournament director of Belgrade Open in May…He and his family opened a restaurant in Belgrade in April 2009 called “Novak”…Father, uncle and aunt were all professional skiers and his father was also an excellent football player…

novak djokovic profile
His father wanted him to be a football player or skier but excelled in tennis at an early age…Credits his family as inspiration for giving him so much support...Younger brothers Marko (born Aug. 20, 1991) and Djordje (born July 17, 1995) are both in school and play tennis…
novak djokovic profile
novak djokovic profile
Idol growing up was Pete Sampras…At age 12, attended Niki Pilic Academy in Munich and practised there for almost two years before returning to Belgrade…Speaks Serbian, Italian, German and English…Favourite surface is hard courts but considers himself an all-around player…Best shot is backhand down the line…

novak djokovic profile
His family invited 50 underprivileged Kosovo-Serb children to Belgrade in September 2007 to be courtside for Serbia-Australia Davis Cup World Group tie…Appeared in September 2007 Vogue Magazine…Elected to two-year term in June 2008 to ATP Player Council…Earned ATP Player of the Year award in 2011...

novak djokovic profile
On 6 February, 2012, was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year in London...Works with physiotherapist Milan Amanovic and Gebhard Phil-Gritsch, who used to work with Austrian Thomas Muster…Coached by former ATP pro and Slovak Republic native Marian Vajda (since June 2006) it seems Novak Djokovic has found a way to make history for himself, let us witness it for years to come as he prove it all.

Monday, February 27, 2012

Player Profile: Rafael Nadal

Full name is Rafael Nadal Parera...Nicknamed "Rafa"...Plays left-handed but writes right-handed...Began playing tennis at age four with his uncle Toni, who is his long-time coach...Used to play with two-handed forehand and backhand before his uncle made him change at age nine or 10 to a one-handed forehand...Played his only junior Grand Slam event at Wimbledon in 2002 and reached SF...Father, Sebastian, is a business partner with two brothers of a restaurant, Sa Punta, and owner of a glass and windows company, Vidres Mallorca...Mother, Ana Maria...Has one younger sister Maria Isabel...Comes from same island (Mallorca) as countryman Carlos Moya...The city of Manacor is second-biggest on island of Mallorca.
rafael nadal profle
His other uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, is a former professional soccer player with stints at FC Barcelona, Real Mallorca and Spanish national team, which competed in 2002 World Cup...Also played on two other World Cup teams in 1994 and ’98...Earned ATP Newcomer of Year in 2003, ATP Most Improved Player of Year in 2005 and ATP Player of Year in 2008 and 2010...Reached Spanish Championships in July 2003 (l. to Lopez).

rafael nadal profle
Won Prince of Asturias award in 2008, named for Spain's Crown Prince Felipe...In October 2010, opened the Rafael Nadal Tennis School in Anantpur, India, which hosts district, state and national-level tournaments, as well as lay equal emphasis on the children's education and tennis training...Received 2011 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year for his contributions through the Rafa Nadal Foundation...Coached by his uncle, Toni Nadal, and fitness trainer is Rafael Maymo.

2011 -- The World No. 2 finished in Top 2 for 7th straight year with a 3-7 mark in finals, with all 3 titles coming on clay (Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Roland Garros)…6 of his runner-up showings came to Djokovic...Put together a stretch of reaching 7 straight finals from Indian Wells to Roland Garros (3-4 mark)…Overall advanced to QF or better 14 times in 16 tournaments with his only early exits coming at ATP Masters 1000 MontrĂ©al (2nd Rd., l. to Dodig) and ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (3R l. to F. Mayer)...In Davis Cup, led Spain to title (d. Argentina) by going 6-0 in singles with 2 wins in 1R over Belgium and over France in SF…Clinched title with win over del Potro (also d. Monaco in F)...
rafael nadal profle
Opened year with a SF in Doha (l. to Davydenko) and followed with QF at Australian Open where he injured his left adductor early in match against Ferrer...Returned in March and reached back-to-back finals at ATP Masters 1000 tournaments in Indian Wells and Miami, falling in 3 sets to Djokovic both times (after winning first set)...

rafael nadal profleBegan clay court circuit with his 7th straight crown at ATP Masters 1000 Monte-Carlo and followed with 6th career title in Barcelona (d. Ferrer in both)...In May, his 37-match clay court winning streak ended with a 75 64 final loss to Djokovic at ATP Masters 1000 Madrid…It was his 3rd streak of 30 or more clay wins (81, 33)…Then lost to Djokovic again in ATP Masters 1000 Rome final...In June, captured his record-tying (w/Bjorn Borg) 6th Roland Garros title (d. Federer) and 10th overall Grand Slam triumph…He improved his career mark to 45-1 in Paris…Has won at least 1 Grand Slam title for 7 straight years...

On grass, reached QF at Queen’s Club (l. to Tsonga) and followed with runner-up at Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic)…It was his 5th final (2-3) at All England Club...His No. 1 reign for 102 total weeks came to an end on July 4 as Djokovic took over (1st held top spot on Aug. 18, 2008 and held it for 46 weeks), then regained No. 1 on June 7, 2010 and held it for 56 weeks...

rafael nadal profle
During summer hard court circuit, lost opening round to Dodig at ATP Masters 1000 MontrĂ©al and followed with QF at ATP Masters 1000 Cincinnati (l. to Fish)…Fell short of repeat title effort at US Open, losing to Djokovic in 4 sets in final...After defeating France’s No. 15 Gasquet and No. 10 Tsonga without losing serve in Davis Cup SF matches, went to Asia and lost in Tokyo final (l. to Murray) and 3R at ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai (l. to F. Mayer)...At 24y10m, Rafael Nadal was 2nd-youngest to win 500 matches, only behind Bjorn Borg (23y7m)...

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Player Profile: Roger Federer

Began playing tennis at age eight...Mother, Lynette, is South African & sister, Robert, is Swiss & they met on a business trip (they both worked for a pharmaceutical company)...Has brother Diana, who is years older...Idol growing up was Boris Becker & favourite player was Pete Sampras...Compiled outstanding junior results, finishing as No. one junior in the world in 1998...Won Wimbledon junior singles (d. Labadze) & doubles titles (w/O. Rochus) that year...One of players (Edberg, Money, Borg) to win junior & men's title at Wimbledon...Also reached final at US Open (l. to Nalbandian) & SF at Australian Open in '98...Closed junior career with title at Orange Bowl in Miami (d. Coria). 

Player Profile the great Roger Federer
Enjoys sitting on the beach, playing cards & table tennis, is a fervent fan of hometown soccer team FC Basel...Has a flair for aesthetics & class...In 2003, initiated Roger Federer Foundation which supports disadvantaged babies in South Africa & promotes sport for young people...Enjoys being an ambassador for global promotion of tennis & is inspired by the cultural diversity of the world...Donated several autographed items to various fundraising auctions & made a personal donation to tsunami relief efforts in January 2005...In addition, helped organize All-Star Rally for Relief, an exhibition event in Indian Wells, Calif., with proceeds to benefit UNICEF's tsunami efforts.

Player Profile the great Roger Federer
In March 2005, they made a surprise visit to babies in townships near Port Elizabeth, South Africa & in November 2005, his parents opened a multipurpose sports site that consists of tennis courts, a basketball & netball court & a footy ground in tiny municipality of Zwide...In September 2005, autographed racquet used in US Open final to ATP's TennisKatrina.com online auction for the American Red Cross Hurricane Katrina relief efforts & it fetched a winning bid of $25,665...In November 2004, was on hand at United Nations in New York to announce 2005 as International Year of Sport & Physical Education with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan...In April 2006, named UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

 

Player Profile the great Roger FedererPlayer Profile the great Roger FedererReceived 2006 Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of Year award and named 2006-07 BBC Sports Abroad Persona of Year (also in '04)...In October 2007, voted No. 30 in a list of "the 100 most influential people in the world of sports" in BusinessWeek Journal in U.S. of six athletes in Top 30)...Named in Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in World" in May 14, 2007 issue...Recipient of U.S. Academy Outstanding Athlete in 2005-06 introduced by USA Today and MSNBC (voted by fans)...Had a stamp of him released by Swiss Post on April ten, 2007 in his birthplace of Basel.



Player Profile the great Roger FedererCarried Swiss flag in opening ceremonies of Athens Olympics in 2004 and Beijing Olympics in 2008 (on his birthday)...Named ATP Player of Year and earned Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship award from 2004-08 and ATPWorldTour.com fans favourite from 2003-10...I.T.W.A. Player of the Year and Ambassador for Tennis award winner in 2004-06...Named 2003 "Swiss of the Year" by his country's TV audience...Won Laureus World Sportsman of Year from 2004-07...Close mate of Vogue Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour...She has attended his matches at Wimbledon and the US Open and they accompanied her to Fashion Week in New York City following 2006 US Open...Named GQ's "International Man of the Year" for 2005 in France...Speaks English, French, Swiss French, French and some Swedish and French...Fitness trainer is Pierre Paganini...Golf superstar Tiger Woods attended '06 US Open final and both athletes met for first time.
Player Profile the great Roger Federer
Selected to ATP Player Council in June 2008, serving as President...Wife, Mirka (Vavrinec) is a former WTA Tour player and they met at 2000 Sydney Olympic Games...They married on Apr. 11, 2009 in Basel...Twin daughters, Charlene Riva and Myla Rose (born July 23, 2009)...

Player Profile the great Roger Federer
In 2011 received Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award for the seventh time and selected as ATPWorldTour.com Fans' Favourite introduced by RICOH for a record ninth consecutive year.
 
Coached by former ATP pro and Pete Sampras mentor Paul Annacone (since September 2010) and also works with Swiss Davis Cup captain Severin Luthi (since 2008) Physiotherapist is former ATP World Tour trainer Stephane Vivier (since October 2009), and fitness trainer is Pierre Paganini.