wimbledon winners

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Wimbledon

Men’s singles: Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3

Women’s singles: Petra Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-4

Men’s doubles: Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan beat Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau 6-3 6-4 7-6 (2)

Women’s doubles: Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik beat Sabine Lisicki and Samantha Stosur 6-3 6-1

Mixed doubles: Jurgen Melzer and Iveta Benesova beat Mahesh Bhupathi and Elena Vesnina 6-3 6-2

Boys’ singles: Luke Saville beat Liam Broady 2-6 6-4 6-2

Girls’ singles: Ashley Barty beat Irina Khromacheva 7-5 7-6 (3)

Boys’ doubles: George Morgan and Mate Pavic beat Oliver Golding and Jiri Vesely 3-6 6-4 7-5

Girls’ doubles: Eugenie Bouchard and Grace Min beat Demi Schuurs and Tang Hao Chen 4-7 6-2 7-5

Men’s Wheelchair doubles: Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink beat Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz 7-5 6-2

Women’s Wheelchair doubles: Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven beat Jiske Griffioen and Aniek Van Koot 6-4 3-6 7-5

OTHER

Lukas Rosol beat Evgeny Donskoy 7-5 7-6 (2) to win the Sparkassen Open 2011 in Branschweig, Germany

Carlos Berlocq beat Albert Ramos 6-4 6-3 to win the Sporting Challenger in Turin, Italy

Anna Tatishvili beat Arantxa Rus 6-4 6-3 to win the International Country Club Cuneo 2011 in Cuneo, Italy

SAYING

“I managed to achieve a lifetime goal and I managed to make my dream come true, all in three days’ time.” – Novak Djokovic, who won Wimbledon and gained the world number one ranking.

“I was surprised how I was feeling on the court, because I was focused only on the point and on the game and not on the final.” – Petra Kvitova, after winning Wimbledon.

“I felt like an animal. I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good. It came spontaneously, really. I didn’t plan to do it. I didn’t know what to do for my excitement and joy.” – Novak Djokovic, who, after winning his first Wimbledon, reached down, plucked some blades of grass from the court and ate it.

“When you play against these players, and they are playing unbelievable, the normal thing is (to) lose.” – Rafael Nadal, whose 20-mnatch Wimbledon winning streak ended with his loss in the final to Novak Djokovic.

“Well, besides the fact that I lost, I think this is a big step for me, being here in the final. You know, feel like I’m improving.” – Maria Sharapova, who reached her first Grand Slam tournament final since undergoing shoulder surgery in October 2008.

“I’m thrilled for her. She played brave tennis, and she deserved to win. She was by far the better player. I don’t think this is the only time she’ll win here. It’s very exciting. A new star.” – Martina Navratilova, nine-time Wimbledon champion, talking about Petra Kvitova.

“She created offensive opportunities from tough positions on the court. Sometimes it’s just too good.” – Maria Sharapova, talking about Petra Kvitova.

“We’re happy with what we’ve done. We’re not content or satisfied. But we have smiles on our faces when we walk by our trophy case in the morning. How this career has gone has been a storybook for us.” – Bob Bryan, who teamed with his brother Mike to win their record-tying 11^th Grand Slam tournament doubles title.

“(Novak) Djokovic is only 24 and has at least four or five years of top level tennis left in him, so I think we can look forward to many more titles and wins from Serbia’s top player. I am sure he is looking forward to the rest of the season and especially the US Open, where he has a very good record on his preferred surface.” – Bogdan Obradovic, Serbia Davis Cup coach.

“This is the only surface you can really dive because on the others if you dive you go directly to the hospital. If you give to them (the crowd), they give to you. I try to give everything. I try to fight and then they support me.” – Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, after losing his semifinal to Novak Djokovic.

“I was controlling the match. Next thing you know, he just continued serving great. But the chances were slim. And then again, he only needed a couple of breaks to end up bringing it home.” – Roger Federer, following his quarterfinal loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

“It’s tough. But I’m giving it my best shot each time. I’m trying my hardest. That’s all you can do.” – Andy Murray, following his third straight Wimbledon semifinal defeat.

“This was definitely not our best day. I think we both envisioned seeing this day going a little bit different.” – Venus Williams, after she and her sister Serena both lost at Wimbledon on the same day.

“I made an effort to get out here and play a couple of tournaments. I just can’t sit here and be disappointed. For the most part, I can just use this as momentum going forward. I can only get better and that can potentially be really scary, because I can only go up from here and I can just do so much more.” – Serena Williams, who failed in her bid to win her third straight Wimbledon singles title.

“I had a chance and I usually take it. That’s why I am where I am. But today it just didn’t go my way. She played well as well, so you just have to give credit to her.” – Caroline Wozniacki, after being upset by Dominika Cibulkova at Wimbledon.

“I cannot be in every place. I cannot be competitive every week of the year. My body needs to rest. … Seriously, is not possible be number one or number two playing Davis Cup every tie, be in all the places, be competitive in all the tournaments. Is not possible.” – Rafael Nadal, complaining about the scheduling of Davis Cup.

 

SERB POWER

One day after clinching the number one spot in the rankings, Novak Djokovic picked the perfect place to win his first grass court tournament. The Serb dominated Rafael Nadal and ran his 2011 record to 48-1 in winning Wimbledon 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3. It is Djokovic’s third Grand Slam tournament title and his second this year. His only defeat this year came in the French Open semifinals to Roger Federer. His Wimbledon semifinal victory over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga guaranteed he would move past Nadal to the top of the rankings despite what might happen in the final. The 24-year-old from Belgrade showed why he’s now number one. “I want to win more Grand Slams,” said Djokovic, who is the first man since Andre Agassi in 1992 to win his first grass title at Wimbledon. “I will not definitely stop here, even though I have achieved (the) two biggest things in my life in three days.”

SIGN OF THE TIME

Having lost both his number one ranking and his Wimbledon title, Rafael Nadal understands the reasons why. The Spaniard has lost five times this year to Novak Djokovic – his only five losses of 2011 – on three different surfaces. “When one player beats you five times it’s because today my game don’t bother him a lot,” Nadal said. “Today probably against me he’s playing better than my level. And find solutions, that’s what I have to try and that’s what I’m going to try. … I only lose matches this year against him. That’s the truth. When I was healthy, I only lost against him. … I understand the sport like this. When one player is better than you, at this moment the only thing you can do is work, try to find solutions, and try to wait a little bit for your time. Last five times (against Djokovic) wasn’t my time. I’m going to wait and I’m going to try a sixth. And if the sixth doesn’t happen, to the seventh. It’s going to be like this. That’s the spirit of the sport.”

STUFF OF CHAMPIONS

When Petra Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova to win the Wimbledon women’s singles, there were two former champions in the Royal Box who had a special interest in the 21-year-old from the Czech Republic. Kvitova became first left-handed woman to win since Martina Navratilova captured her ninth Wimbledon title in 1990. And she is only the third Czech woman to win the title at the All England Club, following Navratilova and Jana Novotna. Both Navratilova and Novotna were in the Royal Box, along with a host of other former champions, and both congratulated the winner after the match. “I cried after I met them,” Kvitova said. Last year, Kvitova lost to eventual champion Serena Williams in the semifinals. “Last year was like I hadn’t many chances to win. Serena played so well,” Kvitova said. “I was young and I didn’t think I can beat her. Today, I felt that I can.”

SWINGING AWAY

American twins Bob and Mike Bryan are continuing their assault on the tennis record book. The 33-year-old brothers won their 11^th Grand Slam tournament doubles title together to tie Australians Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde for the record. “This is a Wimbledon title. This is as special as it gets,” Mike Bryan said. “I always thought we’d play our best at Wimbledon, and we’ve lost three heart-breaking finals. To get on that board again, to have two Wimbledon titles, is really special. And then to equal the Woodies, a team that we idolized, the greatest team in our mind, is unbelievable. I mean to get their title record and get the Grand Slam record, I mean, I’m trying to figure out what’s left. I mean, we’d love to try to get to 12 and do that at the US Open.” The Bryans, who had lost three of their previous four Wimbledon finals, have now won a record 73 doubles titles. “We’ll keep going,” Bob Bryan said. “We see our time out here as I think five or six more years. You look at (Daniel) Nestor. He’s 39, almost turning 40. The guy’s just having a great time still and he’s playing well. I think we’re going to milk it as long as we can.”

SPRINKLES?

A leak in the roof forced six fans to change seats on Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Wimbledon spokesman Johnny Perkins said “there were three small leaks to the permanent roof, not the retractable roof. … The leaks resulted in six people being relocated.” This year’s tournament was plagued by rain, but the retractable roof that was installed before the 2009 tournament ensured that play on the main court continued. Rain began before Sabine Lisicki and Marion Bartoli played in the first women’s quarterfinal match. Heavy at times, the rain pounded the white roof, often drowning out the sound of the racquets hitting the ball. “The rain was pretty intensive for that period, but our maintenance department will investigate and trace the source,” Perkins said.

SHOWING UP

When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – better known as Prince William and his new wife Kate – showed up at the All England Club to watch Great Britain’s Andy Murray take on Frenchman Richard Gasquet, Murray didn’t know about I until a reporter mentioned it as he was walking onto the court. “If I’d known they were coming, I would have shaved,” Murray said. “I was thinking to myself as I came off I was sweaty and very hairy. I said to them, ‘I’m sorry, I’m a bit sweaty.’ But, yeah, it was really nice.” While compulsory bowing toward the Royal Box was ended a few years back, Murray did it anyway as he left the court following his straight-set victory. “Well, I was obviously very happy after the match. I think that was the right thing to do. I hadn’t planned on doing it before,” he said. “When the Queen came to our match last year we were told she was coming and that we would bow when we went on and off the court. But today we weren’t told anything, so it was just, yeah, sort of off the cuff. Yeah, didn’t think too much about it. If it was funny, that’s fine, but I wasn’t intending it to be funny. It’s obviously great to get the chance to play in front of them. But when you’re playing the match you’re not focusing on that.”

 

SWISS STANDARD

Roger Federer has dropped to third in the world, but he still leads the tennis world when it comes to endorsements. The Swiss maestro is featured in seven of the 20 most-shared tennis advertisements in a list drawn up by Unruly Media, which calls itself “a global platform for social video advertising.” Topping the list is the one in which Federer does a William Tell by knocking a tin can off a man’s head with his serve. Some have questioned the shot’s authenticity and a coy Federer has stonewalled all queries, insisting a magician never reveals his tricks. Rafael Nadal makes just one appearance on the list – showing up wearing Armani underwear. Novak Djokovic, who won this year’s Wimbledon, made a couple of appearances on the list, on one occasion playing tennis on the wings of a plane. Great Britain’s Andy Murray is also featured in two commercials that make the top 20 list. Maria Sharapova, Li Na and Ana Ivanovic also make it onto to the male-dominated list.

STURDY FIELD

The only grass-court tournament in the United States begins the day after Wimbledon ends. The Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, is led by John Isner, Tommy Haas, Ivo Karlovic and Ryan Harrison. Also in the field will be 18-year-old Denis Kudla, who was awarded the final wild card. Last year, Kudla reached the US Open junior boys final. Receiving a wild-card entry into the doubles is Jordan Kerr. Making his eighth appearance at Newport, Kerr has won the doubles title five times and reached a career high doubles ranking of 23^rd in the world in August 2008. Also in the field is Frenchman Nicolas Mahut, who lost to Isner in a record-setting match at Wimbledon last year.

A highlight of the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships will be the International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, July 9. The latest inductees into the Hall include Andre Agassi in the Recent Player Category and Peachy Kellmeyer in the Contributor Category.

SPANISH PAIN

Mardy Fish and Andy Roddick will lead the United States Davis Cup team when it plays host to Spain in Austin, Texas, USA. In a World Group quarterfinal, Spain will be missing Rafael Nadal, who failed to defend his Wimbledon title when he fell to Novak Djokovic in the final of the grass-court Grand Slam event. Nadal blamed the scheduling by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for his not playing for his country, saying he needed to rest at least 15-20 days after Wimbledon. “I cannot be in every place. I cannot be competitive every week of the year,” Nadal said. “My body needs to rest. … Seriously, it’s not possible be number one or number two playing Davis Cup every tie, be in all the places, be competitive in all the tournaments. … So for that reason I cannot be there. For me it’s tough. But for the ITF, doesn’t matter.” Besides Fish and Roddick, the United States will have the world’s top-ranked doubles team, brothers Bob and Mike Bryan. Spain has named world number 6 David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Feliciano Lopez and Marcel Granollers.

Argentina will miss David Nalbandian for its Davis Cup quarterfinal in Buenos Aires against Kazakhstan. A groin injury has sidelined the former Wimbledon finalist. With Nalbandian out, Juan Martin del Potro will lead Argentina along with Eduardo Schwank, Juan Chela and Juan Monaco. Argentine captain Modesto Vazquez called the Nalbandian absence “a serious loss. We were counting on David as a luxury.”

 

Andy Murray is ending his self-imposed two-year exile from Great Britain’s Davis Cup team and will lead the squad against Luxembourg in a Europe/Africa Zone Group II playoff. Joining Murray on the team will be his older brother Jamie Murray, James Ward and Colin Fleming. The tie will be played at Glasgow, Scotland. “Any team in the world would love to have someone of Andy’s caliber and it’s great for fans at the Braehead Arena to get the chance to see one of the world’s best players live,” said Leon Smith, captain of Great Britain’s squad. Murray, ranked fourth in the world and a semifinalist at Wimbledon, has not played Davis Cup since facing Poland in September 2009. “There will be a few decent matches and I’m looking forward to playing,” Murray said. “Playing back home in Scotland is always something to which I look forward.”

Canada was looking forward to having Milos Raonic lead its Davis Cup team. Canada will have to wait a little longer as Raonic injured his hip when he slipped on slick grass at Wimbledon during a second-round match. Raonic’s absence gives Ecuador a fighting chance in the Americas Zone Group I tie, which will be played in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The winner advances to the World Group playoffs.

SOUTHERN CAL BOUND

The new Wimbledon champion already has a date later this month in southern California. Petra Kvitova will play in the 2011 Mercury Insurance Open Presented by Tri-City Medical Center July 30-August 7 at the La Costa Resort and Spa. “We are very excited to have the new Wimbledon champion play in our tournament,” said Raquel Giscafre, Mercury Insurance Open tournament director. “She is an incredible and talented player to watch and I’m sure tennis fans will enjoy the opportunity to see her play at the La Costa Resort and Spa.” Named the 2010 WTA Newcomer of the Year, Kvitova will be playing in Carlsbad, California, USA, for the first time in her career. She has been a member of the Czech Fed Cup team since 2007. Also scheduled to play are former world number one Kim Clijsters, defending Mercury Insurance Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva, Agnieszka Radwanska, Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova, Maria Kirilenko, Flavia Pennetta, Melanie Oudin, Coco Vandeweghe, Julia Goerges, Anna Chakvetadze and Yanina Wickmayer.

SHOUT FOR AUSSIE TENNIS

The spotlight is on Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova, but this Wimbledon may be the start of something big for Australia. Bernard Tomic showed that he might be the next great player to come from Down Under, talking of winning a Grand Slam tournament within two years after reaching the last eight at Wimbledon. Then 17-year-old Luke Saville won the Wimbledon boys event and 15-year-old Ashleigh Barty completed an historic double by claiming the junior girls’ title. Never had Australians won both underage tournaments at the All England Club in the same year, and only once, in 1968, had the country been represented in both finals. Only the second Australian to win the Wimbledon junior girls crown, Barty defeated third-seeded Russian Irina Khromacheva in the final. Saville, who became Australia’s first boys champion at Wimbledon since Todd Reid in 2002, came from a set and a break down to defeat Britain’s Liam Broady.

SUPERSTAR

Esther Vergeer has the best record in tennis. The most dominant wheelchair tennis player, Vergeer won her third straight Wimbledon Wheelchair Ladies’ Doubles title, joining Sharon Walraven to defeat Jiske Grif?oen and Aniek Van Koot in the final 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. All four are from the Netherlands. Vergeer has now won 18 Grand Slam tournament doubles titles and her second Wimbledon doubles crown with Walraven. The two have been unbeaten in Grand Slam doubles since losing in the 2010 French Open ?nal.

In the Gentlemen’s Wimbledon Wheelchair Doubles final, the Dutch team of Maikel Scheffers and Ronald Vink downed Frenchmen Stephane Houdet and Michael Jeremiasz 7-5 6-2.

SELECTED

After leading Auburn to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and national college football championships, quarterback Cam Newton was the runaway winner for the Heisman Trophy and later was the first player selected in the National Football League draft. But when the conference athletic directors picked the SEC male athlete of the year, they chose a tennis player, John-Patrick Smith, a four-time All-American at the University of Tennessee. Smith is the first athlete from Tennessee to win the award since quarterback Peyton Manning was chosen in 1998. Smith finished the season ranked 10^th in the country. He was only the second player to be named All-American in singles and doubles every year of his career. Southern California’s Rick Leach did it from 1984-1987.

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Braunschweig: Martin Emmrich and Andreas Siljestrom beat Olivier Charroin and Stephane Robert 0-6 6-4 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Cuneo: Mandy Minella and Stefanie Voegele beat Eva Birnerova and Vesna Dolonts 6-3 6-2

Turin: Martin Fischer and Philipp Oswald beat Uladzimir Ignatik and Martin Klizan 6-3 6-4

SURFING

Bastad: http://women.swedishopen.org/

Budapest: www.budapestgrandprix.hu/joomla15/

Newport: www.tennisfame.com/

Pozoblanco: www.tennispozoblanco.com/

Davis Cup: www.daviscup.com/

Sopot: www.bnpparibaspolishopen.pl

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

(All money in USD)

MEN

$441,500 Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, Newport, Rhode Island, USA, grass

$120,800 ATP Challenger Ciudad de Pozoblanco Open, Pozoblanco, Spain, hard

WOMEN

$220,000 Collector Swedish Open Women, Bastad, Sweden, clay

$220,000 Poli-Farbe Budapest Grand Prix, Budapest, Hungary, clay

DAVIS CUP

World Group

Quarterfinals

Sweden vs. Serbia at Halmstad, Sweden, hard

Argentina vs. Kazakhstan at Buenos Aires, Argentina, clay

United States vs. Spain at Austin, Texas, USA, hard

Germany vs. France at Stuttgart, Germany, clay

Group I

Americas Zone, 2^nd round: Ecuador vs. Canada at Guayaquil, Ecuador, clay; Uruguay vs. Brazil at Montevideo, Uruguay, clay

Asia/Oceania Zone, 2^nd round: China vs. Australia at Beijing, China, hard; Japan vs. Uzbekistan at Kobe, Japan, hard; playoffs: New Zealand vs. Philippines at Taranaki, New Zealand, hard

Europe/Africa Zone, 2^nd Round: Italy vs. Slovenia at Arzachena, Italy, clay; South Africa vs. the Netherlands at Potchefstroom, South Africa, hard; Switzerland vs. Portugal at Berne, Switzerland, hard

Group II

Americas Zone, 2^nd round: Peru vs. Dominican Republic at Lima, Peru, clay; Paraguay vs. Venezuela at Asuncion, Paraguay, clay; playoffs: El Salvador vs. Netherlands Antilles at Santa Tecia, El Salvador, clay; Puerto Rico vs. Haiti at Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, hard

Asia/Oceania Zone, 2^nd round: Korea vs. Pakistan at Gimcheon, Korea, hard; Thailand vs. Indonesia at Nonthaburo, Thailand, hard; playoffs: Syria at Hong Kong, hard; Pacific Oceania vs. Iran at Guam, hard

Europe/Africa Zone: 2^nd round: Great Britain vs. Luxembourg at Glasgow, Scotland, hard; Hungary vs. Belarus at Godollo, Hungary, clay; Bosnia/Herzegovina vs. Estonia at Tuzla, Bosnia/Herzegovina, hard; Denmark vs. Latvia at Fredericksburg, Denmark, clay; playoffs: Ireland vs. Tunisia at Dublin, Ireland, hard; Bulgaria vs. Cyprus at Sofia, Bulgaria, carpet; Lithuania vs. Morocco at Vilnius, clay; Greece vs. Monaco at Thessalonica, Greece, clay

Group III

Africa Zone at Cairo, Egypt, clay (round-robin in four pools; two nations promoted to Europe/Africa Zone Group II for 2012): Algeria, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Zimbabwe

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$566,000 Mercedes Cup, Stuttgart, Germany, clay

$566,000 SkiStar Swedish Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

$151,000 BNP Paribas Polish Open, Sopot, Poland, clay

$125,000 ATP Challenger, Bogota, Colombia, clay

$100,000 Comerica Bank Challenger, Aptos, California, USA, hard

WOMEN

$220,000 XXIV SANAI Open, Palermo, Italy, clay

$220,000 Nürnberger Gastein Ladies, Bad Gastein, Austria, clay