World Tennis Magazine

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french open title

Na Li and Rafael Nadal take home Roland Garros 2011 crowns – Mondays with Bob Greene

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STARS

French Open

Men’s singles: Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer 7-5 7-6 (3) 5-7 6-1

Women’s singles: Li Na beat Francesca Schiavone 6-4 7-6 (0)

Men’s doubles: Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor beat Juan Sebastian Cabal and Eduardo Schwank 7-6 (3) 3-6 6-4

Women’s doubles: Lucie Hradecka and Andrea Hlavackova beat Sania Mirza and Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-3

Mixed doubles: Casey Dellacqua and Scott Lipsky beat Katarina Srebotnik and Nenad Zimonjic 7-6 (6) 4-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Boys’ singles: Bjorn Fratangelo beat Dominic Thiem 3-6 6-3 8-6

Girls’ singles: Ons Jabeur beat Monica Puig 7-6 (8) 6-1

Boys’ doubles: Andres Artunedo Martinavarr and Roberto Carballes Baena beat Mitchell Krueger and Shane Vinsant 5-7 7-6 (5) 10-5 (match tiebreak)

Girls’ doubles: Irina Khromacheva and Maryna Zanevska beat Victoria Kan and Demi Schuurs 6-4 7-5

Men’s wheelchair singles: Maikel Scheffers beat Nicolas Peifer 7-6 (3) 6-3

Women’s wheelchair singles: Esther Vergeer beat Marjolein Buis 6-0 6-2

Men’s wheelchair doubles: Shingo Kunieda and Nicolas Peifer beat Robin Ammerlaan and Stefan Olsson 6-2 6-3

Women’s wheelchair doubles: Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 5-7 6-4 10-5 (match tiebreak)

 

OTHER

 

Yuri Schukin beat Flavio Cipolla 6-4 4-6 6-0 to win the UniCredit Czech Open in Prostejov, Czech Republic

 

SAYING

 

“I’m very happy with what I have, with who I am. I’m not the best player in the history of tennis. I think I’m among the best. That’s true. That’s enough for me.” – Rafael Nadal, after winning his sixth French Open title, tying him with Bjorn Borg.

 

“Today is the dream come true.” – Li Na, after becoming China’s first Grand Slam singles champion.

 

“He plays better against the better ones, and that’s what he showed today. He’s a great champion, on clay, especially.” – Roger Federer, after losing to Rafael Nadal.

 

“She deserved to win. One has to lose, one has to win. She deserves everything.” – Francesca Schiavone, who lost to Li Na in the Roland Garros women’s singles final.

 

“The next two weeks is Wimbledon, so I don’t have time to go back to China right now. I go back after Wimbledon, maybe people forget me already. These are tough times you know.” – Li Na, when asked about the reception she will get when she returns to China.

Na Li

 

“It’s great for the sport overall. She is a great ambassador, great athlete, great personality, a national hero in China already and the western world is beginning to get to know her and enjoying her as she has great talent on the court and is good fun off the court.” – Stacey Allaster, WTA CEO, on Li Na’s victory.

 

“It was best five months of my life, my tennis career.” – Novak Djokovic, after Roger Federer ended his winning streak at 43 matches.

 

“He went for the shots when he needed to. He served really well when he needed to serve well. What happened, happened really. I cannot affect it anymore. In some moments I was lucky, in some moments he was lucky.” – Novak Djokovic, after Roger Federer snapped his 43-match winning streak in the Roland Garros semifinals.

 

“What I would like to say, and I said it to him at the net, is that his record, although it’s not the best because other players have done better – today’s it’s so physical and professional – what he achieved is unbelievable.” – Roger Federer, after beating Novak Djokovic and snapping the Serb’s 43-match winning streak.

 

“Rafa is a better clay court player than me. That’s a fact. It’s always been like that since we both started on the tour. His results would show that. I feel like I’ve closed the gap. I think I’m better on clay, a lot better than I was last year. But I still have a way to go to be as good as him.” – Andy Murray, after losing his semifinal to Rafael Nadal.

 

“The wind blew away some clay as the match went on. Her slice would get lower and lower and it took me a lot of energy to adjust. It did really bother me. In order to dictate the points as I like to, I had to bend a lot and physically I had to make much more effort than usual.” – Marion Bartoli, explaining her women’s semifinal loss to Francesca Schiavone.

 

“It is amazing to win at the French Open. I hope Tunisia is proud of me.” — Ons Jabeur, who became the first Arab girl to win a Grand Slam tournament title when she captured the girl’s singles.

 

“I will definitely take all my family, my coach, and – if Lucie wants – I will take her, too, for a great dinner in one of the famous French restaurants. We will just enjoy ourselves, relax a little bit and have a good time.” – Andrea Hlavackova, after teaming with Lucie Hradecka to win the women’s doubles.

 

“For sure I’ll come to celebrate.” – Lucie Hradecka.

 

“I was told to stay off my feet totally.” – Andy Murray, who overcame a torn tendon in his right ankle to beat Viktor Troicki for a spot in the semifinals against Rafael Nadal.

 

“At the end I was feeling a little bit tired. The rallies were too long.” – Alejandro Falla, a qualifier, after losing to Juan Ignacio Chela 4-6 6-2 1-6 7-6 (5) 6-2 in a fourth-round match.

 

“I’m on grass at Queen’s, which is my favorite surface, I feel fine, and my shoulder has come up fine over the last couple of days in practice. I’ve been battling it for a while and my reasoning (for not playing the French Open) was that I needed to get ready for the grass. Wimbledon is probably one of my best chances of winning another Slam.” – Andy Roddick.

 

SIXTH TITLE

 

With a hard-fought 7-5 7-6 (3) 5-7 6-1 victory, Rafael Nadal continued his domination over the man some consider the greatest player of all time while also equaling Bjorn Borg’s record of six men’s singles titles at Roland Garros. Borg won his six titles in eight years while Nadal has done it in seven. It was Nadal’s 10th Grand Slam tournament title, six fewer than Federer’s men’s record of 16. “Finally I was able to play my best when I needed my best,” Nadal said. “It’s a big personal satisfaction to win this tournament, especially when you start without playing your best.” On the red clay courts at Roland Garros, Nadal is 45-1 for his career. Against Federer, he leads their head-to-head series 17-8, including a 6-2 advantage in Grand Slam tournament finals and a 5-0 edge at the French Open.

 

SINO VISION

 

It was more than just a victory when Li Na captured the women’s singles title at Roland Garros. Much more. Li became the first player from Asia – male or female – to capture a Grand Slam tournament singles crown. And, quietly, while no one seemed to be watching, she became the best player on the women’s tour this year. Li is the only woman to reach the title match at both the Australian Open, where she lost to Kim Clijsters, and the French Open. As far as rankings go, which are based on a 12-month scale, she is number four in the world, tying Japan’s Kimiko Date-Krumm for the best by an Asian player. Until Roland Garros, Li had never won a clay-court tournament, and had never advanced past the third round in her previous four French Opens. To win the big trophy, Li beat four consecutive top-10 seeded players, including three-time major champion Maria Sharapova in the semifinals and defending champion Francesca Schiavone in the title match.

 

Neat fact. When 29-year-old Li Na played 30-year-old Francesca Schiavone for the women’s title at Roland Garros, the match featured the oldest finalists since Chris Evert defeated Martina Navratilova 2-6 6-3 6-3 in 1986 – 25 years ago.

 

STOPPED

 

Novak Djokovic was one match away from taking over the number one ranking in the world when his match-winning streak was halted by Roger Federer in the semifinals at Roland Garros. The Serb also could have taken over the top spot if Federer had beaten Rafael Nadal in the title match. As it is, the men’s rankings after Roland Garros look the same as before the year’s second Grand Slam tournament began: Nadal at number one, followed by Djokovic and then Federer. Djokovic had won 41 consecutive matches to begin 2011, including his second Australian Open triumph. Combined with his two Davis Cup victories last December, Djokovic had won 43 consecutive matches since losing to Federer in the semifinals of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London last November. “I don’t regret (anything). What happened, happened really,” Djokovic said after his streak was snapped. “There’s not much to be sorry for. It was the best five months of my life, my tennis career. I cannot complain. It was definitely an incredible period. It had to end somewhere. I knew it was coming. Unfortunately, it came in a bad moment.”

 

SCANDAL

 

Daniel Koellerer has become the first tennis player to be banned for life for attempting to fix matches. A former Austrian Davis Cup player who once was ranked as high as 55th in the world, Koellerer was found guilty of three violations of the sport’s anti-corruption rules, including “contriving or attempting to contrive the outcome of an event,” by the Tennis Integrity Unit, an anti-corruption group. Koellerer, who was also fined USD $100,000, denied the charges and said he may appeal the ban. Nicknamed “Crazy Dani,” Koellerer has twice been suspended by the ATP for bad behavior on court. In 2006, he was banned for six months. That year, he garnered so much ill feeling on the Challenger circuit in South America that 75 of the 80 players signed a petition asking that Koellerer be kicked off the tour. Last August, he was placed on two years’ probation after his personal website listed odds for matches and had links to sites for placing bets.

 

SPECIAL CHAMPIONS

 

China wasn’t the only nation to come away from this year’s Roland Garros with its first singles champion. Li Na became the first player from Asia – male or female – to win a Grand Slam tournament singles crown. When Ons Jabeur beat Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig 7-6 (8) 6-1 in the junior girl’s singles final, she became the first girl from the Arab world and Africa to win a junior Grand Slam tournament title. It’s the first time an Arab has accomplished the feat since Ismail El Shafei of Egypt won the 1964 Wimbledon boys’ singles title. Eight years earlier, Tunisia’s Mustapha Belkhodja won the French Open boys’ crown. Jabeur was a finalist at Roland Garros last year. “Last year’s loss helped,” she said. “I didn’t want to go through that again.” The 16-year-old Jabeur was a member of the International Tennis Federation/Grand Slam African 14 & Under Touring Team in 2008 and is currently receiving financial assistance through travel grants. Puig also has received travel grants.

 

SPOTLIGHTED

 

Guy Forget was presented the Philippe Chatrier Award for 2011 at the International Tennis Federation’s World Champion’s Dinner held annually in Paris. The French Davis Cup captain for the past 12 years, a former Fed Cup captain and before that a Davis Cup winning player, Forget was cited “For having an influence in both ITF team competitions that extends far beyond his own nation, having a love of his country, and for achievements in, and in support of, Davis Cup and Fed Cup.” Forget is only the third man to have played in the Davis Cup and gone on to captain Davis and Fed Cup winning teams. The other two are Yannick Noah of France and Shamil Tarpischev of Russia. Also being honored were the world number one players Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki in singles; Mike and Bob Bryan, receiving the Men’s Doubles Award for the seventh time; Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta, Women’s Doubles; Colombia’s Juan Sebastian Gomez sand Russia’s Daria Gavrilova, junior winners; Esther Vergeer, named Women’s Wheelchair Champion for the 11th consecutive year; and Shingo Kunieda, Men’s Wheelchair Champion.

 

STOPS PLAY

 

To avoid further embarrassment, the name of the ball boy who ran onto the court in the middle of a point is classified information. As Viktor Troicki prepared to hit a weak lob from Andy Murray, the youngster ran onto the court, thinking the point was over. While there was no collision with the Serbian player, umpire Pascal Maria had to call for the point to be replayed. Troicki initially seemed annoyed and stared accusingly at the ball boy as the crowd began whistling its displeasure and clearly sympathizing with the clearly upset youngster. Murray won the replayed point and went on to rally from a five-game deficit in the final set to win 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-2 7-5. “I cannot blame him, but still, I was a little bit disappointed,” Troicki said.

 

SINCE WHEN?

 

When 17-year-old Bjorn Fratangelo of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, beat Dominic Thiem of Austria 3-6 6-3 8-6, he became the first American to win the Roland Garros boys’ singles title since John McEnroe in 1977. Fratangelo and McEnroe are the only two Americans to win the boys’ crown since the Open era began in 1968. Jennifer Capriati was the last American to win the Roland Garros girls’ singles, and that was in 1989. Fratangelo, who was named after tennis legend Bjorn Borg, won the Easter Bowl and USTA Boys’ 18s National Clay Court Championships last year.

 

STEPPING ASIDE I

 

After having his 43-match winning streak snapped, Novak Djokovic pulled out of the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Queen’s Club in London. “I’ve pulled out from Queen’s and I will take a rest before Wimbledon,” he said. The AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club also will be without American Mardy Fish (abdominal injury) and Frenchman Richard Gasquet (leg injury). “I am very disappointed that I will not be playing in the AEGON Championships at The Queen’s Club this year,” said Djokovic, who has patellar tendinitis. “It is a great event, I wish the organizers and the fans a fantastic week of tennis and I hope I will be back next year.”

 

STEPPING ASIDE II

 

Maria Sharapova has withdrawn from the AEGON Classic grass-court tournament in Birmingham, Great Britain. Traditionally, Sharapova used the Birmingham event as her only warm-up tournament before Wimbledon. The 24-year-old Russian, who lost to Li Na in the semifinals at Roland Garros, said she would be unable to play Birmingham because of illness. Also pulling out of the tournament was the other French Open losing semifinalist, Marion Bartoli of France. Bartoli, who played Roland Garros despite being hurt, cited an injury as the reason she will miss Birmingham.

 

SHARED HAPPINESS

 

Canada’s Daniel Nestor and Max Mirnyi of Belarus are no strangers to winning double titles in Grand Slam tournaments. It’s just that this time it was their first as a team as they defeated Eduardo Schwank of Argentina and Juan Sebastian Cabal of Colombia 7-6 (3) 3-6 6-4 for the championship. Nestor has now won seven Grand Slam tournament men’s doubles titles, while Mirnyi has five of the big trophies. “We knew on paper we’re capable of playing well together,” Mirnyi said. “Up until you produce a result, you never know.” Cabal and Schwank were playing in their first tournament as a team. Cabal was making his Grand Slam tournament debut and became the first man from Colombia to reach a major final. With a different partner, Schwank reached the semifinals last year at both Wimbledon and the US Open.

 

SHELF-FILLER

 

Andrea Hlavackova can finally take that shelf out from under her bed. She teamed with Lucie Hradecka to win the women’s doubles, the first time since the 1990s that a team from the Czech Republic has been in the Grand Slam tournament winner’s circle. “One year my friends got me a shelf with ‘This is for Grand Slam trophies’ written on it,” Hlavackova said. “I just put it under my bed, like what a silly joke. Today I realized I’ll have something to put on it. It’s great. It’s something I will remember and everybody will remember. I wouldn’t exchange it for anything.” It was the first time the unseeded Czech team had been past the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam event. The last Czech to win a Grand Slam title of any kind was Jana Novotna, who partnered Switzerland’s Martina Hingis to the doubles title at the 1998 US Open. The last time an all-Czech team won a Grand Slam tournament women’s doubles title came in 1990 when Novotna teamed with Helena Sukova to win Wimbledon.

 

SLIP UP

 

Oops! When Britain’s Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) made billboard posters to promote the upcoming AEGON International tournament in Eastbourne, Great Britain, it featured a photo of a sandy beach. It may be pretty, but the beach at Eastbourne is pebbles. “Our tides are very strong and would wash sand right away,” said David Elkin, a Tory member of the city council. “We should make do with what we’ve got instead of airbrushing the stones away.” Kate Alexander, a 24-year-old shop worker, said: “We shouldn’t pretend to be something we’re not. The billboards are completely misleading and unnecessary. Personally I prefer sandy beaches, but it’s silly to pretend we have them in Eastbourne.” A spokesman for the LTA said: “The imagery used in this marketing campaign is intended to be fun, and not an exact representation of the beach at Eastbourne. We wanted to create a buzz around the event and it would appear we have done so.” The tournament is played on grass and is a warm-up event for Wimbledon.

 

SOUND BITES

 

Chris Evert is returning to television where she will work both as a studio analyst as well as calling matches for ESPN at both Wimbledon and the US Open. The 18-time Grand Slam tournament champion retired from tennis in 1989 after winning 157 singles titles, including three at Wimbledon and a record six at the US Open. She also won seven French Open titles and two Australian Open championships. In 1995 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “I am really excited about working again in tennis as an analyst,” Evert said in a statement. “I’ve been away from TV for 10 years because my priority was raising my three boys, and now that they are older it is the right time to join the exceptional tennis team at ESPN.”

 

STRAIGHT IN

 

James Blake will return to the scene of his first ATP singles title when he joins the field of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington, DC, in July. Tournament director Jeff Newman said if Blake’s ranking is not high enough for a direct entry into the event, he will receive a wild card berth. Blake upset top-seeded Andre Agassi in the semifinals in 2002 and went on to win the first of his 10 ATP singles titles. He reached the final again in 2005, losing to Andy Roddick. Others scheduled to be in the strong field include Mardy Fish, Roddick, Sam Querrey, John Isner, former world number one Lleyton Hewitt and rising Canadian star Milos Raonic. Blake was the top-ranked American in 2006 when he reached a career-high ranking of fourth in the world. In recent years his career has been slowed by injury.

 

STANDING FOR BOARD

 

Twenty-two people have been nominated for the 13-member International Tennis Federation (ITF) Board of Directors for 2011-2013. The balloting will be held September 23 at the ITF’s annual general meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. On the ballot are Amando Cervone of Argentina, Tarak Cherif of Tunisia, Dong Kil Cho of Korea, Ismail El Shafei of Egypt, Jean Gachassin of France, Lucy Garvin of the United States, Jack Graham of Canada, Naohiro Kawatei of Japan, Anil Khanna of Inida, Chris Kypriotis of Brazil, Suwat Liptapanlop of Thailand, Juan Margets of Spain, Roman Murashkovsky of Russia, Geoff Pollard of Australia, Stuart Smith of Great Britain, Rene Stammbach of Switzerland, Stefan Tzvetkov of Bulgaria, Ayda Uluc of Turkey, Karin van Bijsterveld of the Netherlands, Jon Vegosen of South Africa and Georg von Waldenfels of Germany. El Shafei, Gachassin, Garvin, Graham, Khanna, Kypriotis, Margets, Murashkovsky, Pollard, Smith and von Waldenfels are incumbent board members. The current president, Francesca Ricci Bitti, is the only candidate for his position and was nominated by 11 national associations.

 

SIGNED UP

 

Sam Querrey is returning to the Farmers Classic in July in a bid to win the Los Angeles tournament for the third straight year. Also in the field is 2008 champion Juan Martin del Potro. “To have the champions from our last three years is great for tennis and the Farmers Classic,” said tournament director Bob Kramer. “With Sam’s local ties and vocal fan base here, he always brings a lot of energy to the tournament. Sam and Juan Martin are great champions, and we are eager for them both to return to UCLA.” Last year, Querrey defeated Andy Murray in the final. He is seeking to join Hall of Famers Fred Perry (1932-34) and Don Budge (1935-37) as the only players to three-peat.

 

SET FOR OLYMPICS

 

For the fourth straight Olympics, the ATP will award ranking points for players participating in the London Games. As a result of the agreement, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will allow nations to receive up to four entries into the men’s singles and two entries into the men’s doubles, with a maximum number of six men per country on-site. The South African Airways 2012 ATP rankings of June 11, 2012, will be used as the basis for determining the 56 direct entries into the 64-player men’s singles draw, subject to a maximum of four players per country as well as existing eligibility requirements. Six of the remaining eight singles places will be selected by the International Tennis Federation’s Olympic Committee, taking into consideration a player’s singles computer ranking and a geographic distribution of nations entered, as well as two Tripartite Commission Invitations decided by the IOC, National Olympic Committees and the ITF. The tennis competition at the 2012 London Games will be held on the grass courts of Wimbledon.

 

SAD NEWS

 

Pauline Betz Addie, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1965, is dead. Addie, who had Parkinson’s disease, was 91 years old. Addie reached the final in six consecutive US National Championships (now the US Open) from 1941 to 1946, winning four times. She won Wimbledon in 1946. Her career was cut short in 1947 when she was declared a professional for merely exploring the possibilities of creating a professional tour. Barred from major competitions, which were amateur only prior to 1968, Addie began touring the country with fellow female pro Gussie Moran and top male stars including Jack Kramer and Bobby Riggs. She won seven women’s professional championships. Addie was the widow of Bob Addie, a sportswriter for the former Washington Times-Herald, which later became The Washington Post.

 

SCHOOL FUND

 

Andre Agassi and a real estate investment firm have teamed up to form an investment fund to finance charter school buildings in a bid to spur the growth of independent public education. The fund, called the Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund, plans to finance up to USD $750 million worth of new school construction or remodeling of buildings to accommodate schools in low-income, urban communities across the country. Investors in the fund include Intel Capital, Citigroup and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Charters are publicly funded schools, but are operated autonomously from a local school district and can’t access public financing mechanisms, such as bond issues, to construct buildings. Agassi, who operates an award-winning charter school in a poor area of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, has long been a champion of charter school education. The Canyon-Agassi fund will use investors’ money to build schools and lease them to charter organizations, which will later have an option to buy the buildings through low-interest, tax-exempt loans once the school becomes stabilized. The fund aims to finance construction of 75 schools, with the first slated to open in North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, this fall.

 

SHARED SUCCESS

 

Prostejov: Sergei Bubka and Adrian Menedez-Maceiras beat David Marrero and Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo 7-5 6-2

 

SURFING

Halle: www.gerryweber-open.com/?ref=atp

Copenhagen: http://e-bokssonyericssonopen.dk/

London: www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/AEGON-British-Tennis-Series/AEGON-Championships/

Birmingham: www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/AEGON-British-Tennis-Series/AEGON-Classic/

Den Bosch: www.unicefopen.nl/

Eastbourne: www.lta.org.uk/fans-major-events/AEGON-British-Tennis-Series/AEGON-International/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

 

(All money in USD)

 

MEN

 

$946,840 Gerry Weber Open, Halle, Germany, grass

$895,414 AEGON Championships, London, Great Britain, grass

 

WOMEN

 

$220,000 e-Boks Sony Ericsson Open, Copenhagen, Denmark, hard

$220,000 AEGON Classic, Birmingham, Great Britain, grass

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

 

MEN

 

$595,000 AEGON International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$577,000 UNICEF Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, grass

 

WOMEN

 

$618,000 AEGON International, Eastbourne, Great Britain, grass

$220,000 UNICEF Open, ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, grass

 

DAVIS CUP

 

Americas Zone, Group III, at Santa Cruz, Bolivia (clay): Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica

 

Asia/Oceania Zone, Group III, at Colombo, Sri Lanka (clay): Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Myanmar, Oman, Sri Lanka, UAE, Vietnam

 

Americas Zone, Group IV, at Santa Cruz, Bolivia (clay): Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, US Virgin Islands

 

FEDERER SEEDED NO. 1 AT WIMBLEDON, DESPITE BEING NO. 2

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Despite being ranked No. 2, Roger Federer will be No. 1 at Wimbledon.

The All England Lawn Tennis Club, using their prerogative to seed as they place, seeded the six-time Wimbledon champion Federer No. 1 in the men’s singles field, ahead of Rafael Nadal, who took over the top ranking from Federer on June 7.

Nadal won his only title at Wimbledon in 2008, defeating Federer 9-7 in the fifth set. He did not defend his title last year due to knee problems.

Wimbledon is the only Grand Slam event where seedings can differ from a player’s ranking. Organizers take into account a player’s performance on grass in the previous two years.

Nadal’ s return to the No. 1 spot, earned after winning a fifth French Open title on June 6, prevented Federer from surpassing Pete Sampras’s record of 286 weeks at the top. Federer has been No. 1 for 285 weeks.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic was seeded third for Wimbledon, while Andy Murray of Britain was seeded fourth. Andy Roddick of the U.S., last year’s losing finalist, was named the No. 5 seed.

The women’s seedings follow the WTA Tour singles rankings list, the All England Club said. Top-ranked Serena Williams, the defending champion, is the top seed ahead of her sister Venus. Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki is the No. 3 seed, followed by Jelena Jankovic of Serbia at No. 4.

French Open champion and sixth-ranked Francesca Schiavone of Italy was named fifth seed after world No. 5 and Olympic champion Elena Dementieva of Russia pulled out with a calf injury.

For full seeding and tournament information, go to www.Wimbledon.org

NADAL WINS FIFTH FRENCH OPEN TITLE

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Rafael Nadal regained his title of “King of Clay” winning the French Open singles title for a fifth time Sunday with a 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over Robin Soderling of Sweden.

Only the great Bjorn Borg has won more singles titles (6) at the world’s premier clay court tournament as Nadal increased his career record at Roland Garros to 38-1.

Nadal’s only French blemish came at the hands of the defeated finalist Sunday, Soderling, who shocked the Spanish lefty in the fourth round last year. Nadal, however, was able to avenge the loss to Soderling.

“This is one of the most important wins of my career,” said Nadal to John McEnroe on NBC Sports television. “It is very emotional.”

The win also catapulted Nadal back to the No. 1 ranking ahead of Roger Federer and he appears likely to hold the ranking as Nadal has little ranking points to defend the rest of the year. Last year, Nadal was unable to defend his 2008 Wimbledon title due to injury and was a losing semifinalist at the US Open. Nadal last was ranked No. 1 on July 5, 2009. Nadal prevents Federer from equaling the all-time weeks-at-No.1 record of 286 weeks, held by Pete Sampras. Federer has been ranked No. 1 in 285 weeks.

The win also marked Nadal’s seventh major title, moving him into a tie for 12th place all-time tying him with John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, John Newcombe, Richard Sears, Bill Larned, Henri Cochet and Rene Lacoste and William Renshaw.

McEnroe on NBC television called Nadal’s match “the best clay court match of the year” which is saying something since Nadal boasted a 22-0 clay-court record this year.

Nadal made only 16 unforced errors in the final and connected on 77 percent of his first serves and winning 74 percent of those points. The 24-year-old won the 2010 French title without losing a set – equaling a feat he also achieved in 2008.

SCHIAVONE WINS ROLAND GARROS: NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE

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By Blair Henley

Francesca Schiavone’s supporters at Roland Garros wore black shirts that said Schiavo – Nothing is Impossible. Much to everyone’s surprise, except perhaps Schiavone, they were right.

The wide-eyed Italian became the first woman from her country to win a Grand Slam singles title after taking out heavily-favored No. 7 seed Sam Stosur 6-4, 7-6 (2) for the 2010 French Open title.

Then she kissed the red clay.

Just minutes later former champion Mary Pierce handed Schiavone her trophy, and of course, she kissed that, too.

“I didn’t prepare nothing,” she said in her acceptance speech. “Because if I prepare something in the future it never happens. I felt amazing today. I’m really, really happy. Thank you to everyone!”

Schiavone, seeded No. 17, beat Stosur once in 2005, but had lost in their next four meetings, including a 6-4, 6-2 defeat in the first round of last year’s French Open. The 29-year-old veteran had never been past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in 39 attempts, but she showed no signs of wilting under that pressure. In fact, she overcame a 4-1 deficit in the second set before coming back to win in the tiebreak.

“I tried to stay focused on my play and not to think about other things,” she explained. “I tried to play and just enjoy, really enjoy, from the heart.”

Stosur’s high bouncing kick serves and penetrating forehands had been the talk of the tournament until the final match where Schiavone doubled Stosur’s ace totals and finished with more winners than her opponent, including several at the net.

“I am 60 kilos and she is 70,” the diminutive Italian said with a smile. “I had to use one tactic, so I used the volley.”

Stosur graciously answered questions about what she thought happened in a match she could have, and probably should have, won.

“I don’t know for sure [what happened],” she said. “But I know she played extremely well and never let me get into my full groove. I thought I played quite well, but she was better today.”

Schiavone lauded her opponent in her acceptance speech, praising her athleticism and character.

“You deserve to be here next time,” she said to her heartbroken opponent. “You are young. You can do it.”

The 26-year-old Australian is just three years younger than Schiavone, but the crowd laughed at the Italian’s acknowledgement that she is considered an old-timer in the tennis world.

On Monday, Schiavone will crack the world’s Top 10 for the first time in her career. She and Stosur will be ranked No. 6 and No. 7 respectively.

Stosur upset current world No. 1 Serena Williams and two former No. 1s Justine Henin and Jelena Jankovic in succession before reaching the final, but it was Schiavone who had the upset of the tournament. She played like she had nothing to lose, but we all know that wasn’t the case.

“Nothing to lose? No,” she said. “When you want something, you have always something to lose.”

NADAL SEEKS FIFTH FRENCH TITLE, RETURN TO NO. 1 AND REVENGE AGAINST SODERLING

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Rafael Nadal will be seeking a fifth French Open title, a return to the world No. 1 ranking and revenge in Sunday’s championship match at Roland Garros.

The No. 2-seeded Nadal toppled Austrian Jurgen Melzer, playing in his first-ever Grand Slam semifinal, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) Friday to reach the French Open final for a fifth time in six years, where he will face No. 5-seed Robin Soderling, the man who handed him his first and only career loss at Roland Garros last year in the round of 16.

Soderling, who shocked world No. 1 and defending champion Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, outlasted No. 15-seeded Tomas Berdych, also playing in his first-ever major semi, 6-3, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 in the other Friday semifinal.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Nadal had been 31-0 on the famed red clay before losing to the big-hitting Swede last year. Nadal will appear in his fifth final here in six years, seeking a fifth title. Only Bjorn Borg, with six championships, has won more French Open titles than Nadal in the Open Era (since 1968).

The powerful Nadal is a six-time major champion, including four straight French Open titles from 2005-08. He’s now 37-1 lifetime at this Parisian major.

Nadal would supplant Roger Federer atop the men’s rankings for a second time with a title here this week. The Spaniard is seeking his fourth straight championship on the tour, having recently titled at Monte Carlo, Rome and Madrid, a trio of ATP Masters tournaments.

Soderling, meanwhile, will compete in his second straight Roland Garros finale. He lost to Federer in last year’s French Open finale.

Nadal cruised through the first two sets on Day 13, as he broke Melzer a pair of times in an easy first set and tallied two more breaks in the second. Up 5-4 and serving for the match, Nadal had a slight lapse. He lost four consecutive points, including a double-fault to give Melzer the break for 5-5.

The set went to a tiebreaker after both players held serve. A missed overhead by Nadal gave Melzer a quick 2-0 lead in the tiebreak, but Nadal responded with three straight points before back-to-back errors from Melzer gave the Spaniard a pair of match points at 6-4. Melzer, though, saved both — the second with a perfectly placed drop shot.

A forehand winner gave Nadal his third match point, which he converted when Melzer drilled a shot into the net.

The powerful Nadal, who turned 24 on Thursday, is now 3-0 lifetime against his fellow lefthander Melzer.

Soderling cruised through the first set against Berdych on Friday before the Czech returned the favor for an easy win in the second.

In the third set, Berdych broke Soderling to grab a 6-5 edge and then held his serve to surprisingly go up two-sets-to-one in the slugfest.

In set number four, the big Swede got a big break he needed to secure a 4-2 advantage and would ease his way to a set win after that.

The fifth set opened up with back-to-back breaks, but Soderling would assume control with the biggest break of the bout, as he grabbed a 4-3 lead in the deciding stanza. Soderling then held and broke again to reach a second straight final here. The Swede converted on his first match point on a sunny Friday when Berdych knocked a backhand wide to cap a lengthy match-ending rally.

Soderling advanced in 3 hours, 27 minutes despite being out-aced (21-18), tallying eight double faults, and recording 22 more unforced errors (63-41). The Swede did, however, have two more breaks of serve (6-4), which proved to be the difference in the end.

JUSTINE HENIN’S BACKHAND – A TREAT TO WATCH

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By Ritesh Gupta

When its on full song, Justine Henin’s backhand is surely one of the most captivating sights in the sport.

Any connoisseur would rank the Belgian’s single-handed backhand as probably one of the best strokes in the history of women’s tennis. And for fans, its just pure delight to see the way Henin executes the same time and again.

Tennis is being increasingly dominated by those who are gifted with the right blend of strong physique and talent. So much so that at times facing the likes of Williams sisters looks like a daunting task. But as seen over the years, if Henin is in form, nothing can stop her. What she lacks in height (Henin is 5ft. 6 inches tall), Henin makes up for the same with her groundstrokes.

Talking of Henin’s backhand again, its just not a weapon which forces the pace or results in winners. Its equally strong in defence and too consistent to frustrate the opponents.

A case in point was the way Henin clawed her way in the final set against Maria Sharapova at the French Open Sunday. The Russian, who is trying to find her way back to the top, attacked Henin relentlessly when the game resumed after being suspended due to darkness at one set each on Saturday. Sharapova took an early lead in the final set but Henin just didn’t give up.

One point aptly summarised Henin’s determination. It came in the eight game of the final set. Serving at 3-4, Sharapova produced a barrage of aggressive strokes. In one of the rallies, it looked as if Henin’s backhand would wilt under pressure. Even as Sharapova’s assaults and even her shrieks touched their peak, it just failed to crack Henin’s backhand. Henin not only broke that service game but she wrapped up the match in style to complete her 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory.

Henin next faces Samantha Stosur of Australia for a place in the quarterfinal stage. If she goes all the way, Henin would be pocketing her fifth French Open title.

Recently, when Henin was interviewed, she felt excited as well as nervous going into the tournament.

Irrespective of how Henin feels, everyone out in the field knows the Belgian is a dangerous opponent.  Especially considering that this year Henin has made a comeback and her hunger for more is getting stronger and stronger.

ONE AND DONE FOR FEDERER IN ROME

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Roger Federer crashed out in the opening round of the Italian Championships Tuesday, falling to No. 40-ranked Ernests Gulbis of Latvia 2-6, 6-1, 7-5. The world No. 1, playing in his first clay-court match of the year, was playing his first match since losing to Tomas Berdych in the round of 16 of the Sony Ericsson Open on March 30.

“My game was definitely not up to speed,” Federer said. “My serve was not working at all.”

Federer last lost in his opening round match at a tournament at the BNP Paribas Masters indoors in Paris last November.  He has never won the title in Rome, one of the few prestigious trophies in tennis that the Swiss does not have in his collection. He will next play the smaller clay court event in Estoril, Portugal, then Madrid, where he is defending champion, before defending his French Open title in Paris.

“I hope I can come back from this. That’s usually what I do after a loss like this,” Federer said. “Sometimes it takes a loss to wake up and shake you up for your approach the next week. When you always win, sometimes you forget how hard it is. That’s why today I don’t get too worried about this loss.”

Gulbis converted on his seventh match point after failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the final set, fighting off nerves and the vocal Italian crowd that did want to see Federer exit the tournament so suddenly.

“He looked rusty,” said tennis commentator Robbie Koenig following the match. “Perhaps he (Federer) had too much time off in the end.”

Federer, who has won 16 major singles titles, is still in the double competition as he and partner Yves Allegro won their first round match Monday.

NADAL IN NUMBING FORM IN WINNING SIXTH STRAIGHT IN MONTE CARLO

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By Charles Bricker

Even if you’ve several times seen a comparable display of magnificence from Rafa Nadal, it was impossible not to once again leap from your seat, or shout with joy, or, for the more sedated viewers, simply shake your head in disbelief at the performance the incomparable Spaniard put on in this Monte Carlo final Sunday afternoon.

If there was even a remote doubt about the current condition of his worrisome knees, it was dispelled in five one-sided matches during this incomparable week of play, which culminated in a 6-0, 6-1 triumph over countryman Fernando Verdasco.

Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal

Nadal delivered one scintillating point after another while Verdasco, in a heavily frustrating one hour and 25 minutes on court, was left screaming, muttering to himself and, in his one minor moment of glory, on his knees blowing kisses to the sky.

It was a record-breaking afternoon. For the first time, an ATP player had won a tournament six times in a row, and it’s a feat Nadal can repeat at Barcelona this week as he moves on to Stage Two of his quest to regain the French Open title in June.

Under nothing but blue sky and with just enough wind to ruffle the flags surrounding the Monte Carlo Country Club, Nadal won the first six points of the match, won the first seven points Verdasco served and blitzed through the opening set.

There were a few sticky moments in the second set, but after Verdasco double-faulted — both into the net — on successive points at 1-1 and 40-15, then broken for a fourth time in a row to lose that game, there was a palpable sense that his spirit was irretrievably lost.

He did play a strong game with Nadal serving at 4-1, but he couldn’t convert any of five break point opportunities and, even if he had, he was already down two breaks at that point. This match was gone and nothing could have delivered the final beat-down than Nadal’s running forehand pass to ward off one of those breaks.

Verdasco had forced Nadal deep into his backhard side to make a defensive save and Rafa could do no more than bloop up a return. There was Verdasco racing in to hit a swinging forehand volley from mid-court that he must have thought was a sure winner.

But — stop me if you’ve seen this before — Nadal was already into a full run to the left side to make the play, slamming a cross-court pass for a clean winner. Incredible? Of course not.

The numbers Nadal has run up in Monte Carlo are, well, numbing:

* This is 32 straight wins at Monte Carlo. He hasn’t lost since he went out in the round of 16 in 2003 to Guillermo Coria. Nadal is 66-5 in sets during the win streak.

* To Thiemo de Bakker and Michael Berrer he lost one game each. He defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero 6-4, 6-2. He beat David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3. And now this. This is the worst beating in a Masters or ATP 1000 final since Lleyton Hewitt won over Gustavo Kuerten 6-1, 6-1 at Indian Wells in 2003.

* Nadal is now 10-0 against Verdasco, 5-0 on clay. His record for the season is 21-4.

* And it is his first tournament title in nearly a year — since he won Rome in May of 2009. That will please him most.

The knee skeptics won’t be fully convinced, of course, pointing out that Nadal’s long-term fitness depends not on just one tournament, but how he holds up in consecutive weeks. Those knees have been an alarming problem in one so young (23 years old), but Nadal believes he now has the schedule and the training program to stay healthy.

He took a week off after losing in the semifinals at Key Biscayne (hard court) to Andy Roddick, but he will play a second week in a row at Barcelona, though for a second tournament in a row he will not have a chance to encounter No. 1 Roger Federer, whom he has devastated on clay in past years.

Everything was working for Nadal this week. Forehand? Electrifying. The topspin was so heavy that it forced opponents back behind the baseline, where it’s harder to take the ball early. Backhand? More aggressive than in the past. Serve? It’s less important on clay, where it’s easier for Nadal to back it up with his ground stroking, but it was, nevertheless, very strong in this tournament. Return game? He was aced only four times in five matches — one each by Ferrero and Ferrer and two from Verdasco. He faced 13 break points and was broken just three times.

Perhaps most impressive was his running. This was the kind of court coverage we remember when Nadal was winning consecutive French Opens. His movement is once again in remarkable harmony with his stroking, and that’s so much more important on clay than on other surfaces.

He was properly ecstatic with this win, but the celebration won’t last long. It’s time to move on and, with airports closed because of the erupting volcano in Iceland, Rafa and a number of other players are making the 450-mile drive to Barcelona along the southern edge of France and then down the east coast of Spain.

It wouldn’t be surprising if the Nadal entourage got a police escort when he crossed the border. The national treasure is coming home.

Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com

A SWEET SIXTEEN FOR FEDERER

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It’s a sweet sixteen for Roger Federer.

The Swiss maestro won his record-extending 16th major singles title Sunday, defeating Andy Murray 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (13-11) to win the 2010 Australian Open and further extend his legacy as the greatest tennis player of all-time. The win marked Federer’s fourth Australian Open title, tying him with Andre Agassi for the most Aussie Open men’s singles titles in the Open Era (since 1968). The win was Federer’s first Australian title since 2007, after losing in the semifinals in 2008 to Novak Djokovic and in last year’s final to Rafael Nadal.

Federer’s “greatest of all-time” tennis resume now includes;

  • Six Wimbledon titles (2003-2007, 2010)
  • Five U.S. Open titles (2004-2008)
  • Four Australian Open titles (2004, 2006-2007, 2010)
  • The 2009 French Open title
  • 2008 Olympic Gold Medal in men’s doubles
  • 62 career ATP singles titles
  • 268 weeks ranked No. 1 as of Monday, February 1, including a record 237 consecutive weeks
  • 22 major final appearances – an all-time record
  • 23 straight appearances in major semifinals – an all-time record

“I’m over the moon about winning this again,” said Federer. “I played some of the best tennis of my life over the last two weeks.”

Federer was able to dictate play against the Scotsman, surprisingly off his weaker backhand wing, in the two-hour, 41-minute final. Murray served for the third set at 5-3, but was unable to convert, and held five set points in the tie-breaker but was unable to force the fourth-set and extend the match.

Murray’s loss prevented him from ending the 74-year drought by British men in Grand Slam tournaments. The last Brit to win a major singles title was Fred Perry, who last won the 1936 U.S. Championships.

Said Federer to Murray in the post-match ceremony, “You are too good a player not to win a Grand Slam so don’t worry about it.”

Murray was emotional in his post-match speech, choking up and on the verge of tears in disappointment. He quipped of Federer’s tearful speech after losing to Rafael Nadal in last year’s Australian Open final, “I can cry like Roger, it’s a shame I can’t play like him.”

Federer was also competing in his record-extending 22nd major final. Murray was the first British man to reach the Australian Open men’s final since John Lloyd, who lost the 1977 Australian final to Vitas Gerulaitis in five sets. Murray’s first and only other Grand Slam tournament final came at the 2008 U.S. Open, where he lost to Federer 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.

Despite the loss, Murray still leads the head-to-head with Federer 6-5 — Federer’s 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 win in the final of the 2008 US Open being the only previous match the two have played in a major tournament and their only other best-of-five set match meeting.