Olympic Years Most tennis fans can remember the result of Wimbledon 2008. Remember 2008, the year of the last Summer Olympic Games? Roger Federer had a tough June and July in 2008. He was throttled by Rafael Nadal in Paris. Going into a highly anticipated Wimbledon final due to the 5 set thriller of 2007,…
Category: Tennis History
The International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is hosting its annual 25o level event on the ATP tour. It is the only grass court event held on US soil. It is also the only grass court ATP tour event held after Wimbledon concludes. I attended the tournament in 1999 and watched Chris Woodruff win the title. …
Federer Facts
Earlier today I was running through some of Roger Federer’s records and standings in my mind. I was trying to wrap my head around these gaudy numbers. I figured it makes sense to post these records and then revise them as they change or a different record occurs to me or you. Why should I…
Who is the Greatest Male Grass Court Player of the Open Era? (POLL)
Martina Navratilova seems to have locked up the female honor here. Consider the following cases before voting and of course comment below. Bjorn Borg – 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles, 1 Wimbledon runner-up finish, 6 consecutive Wimbledon final rounds reached, 2 Wimbledon quarterfinal finishes Pete Sampras – 7 Wimbledon titles, 7-0 in Wimbledon finals, 1 Wimbledon…
Federer’s 7 and 17
Roger Federer is Back on Top Roger Federer won a 7th Wimbledon title and a record extending 17th major title. He has returned to the #1 ranking. Federer has now tied Sampras’ records for 7 Wimbledon titles and for total weeks at #1. In one week, Roger will be the sole owner of the record…
Serena Williams’ Legacy Grows
Serena Williams fought of a game Agnieeszka Radwanska to win her 5th Wimbledon singles title 6-1, 5-7, 6-2. Serena’s first two service games of the 3rd set were crucial to determining the winner. Williams’ serve had abandoned at the close of the 2nd set. Aga had her teeth in the match. Serena failed to convert…
Wimbledon Has Been Stingy Over the Past 20 Years
Historical Context In a real numbers sense, 20 titles have been handed out at each of the Grand Slams over a 20 year period of time. Of course, the Australian Open was held twice in 1977 and was not held in 1986. In 1967, Wimbledon held a professional tournament 2 weeks after the amateur event…
Tennis History: Nadal and Sharapova
A Trip Inside my Unofficial Historical Tennis Rankings The 2012 French Open is in the books. Sadly, the quick transition to grass rarely allows for the full impact of this event to be appreciated until later in the year. Still, Rafael Nadal and Maria Sharapova made a great deal of history. Here is a quick…
2012 Men’s French Open Final: #1 Novak Djokovic versus #2 Rafael Nadal – Can Godzilla Be Stopped?
This match is what every tennis fan has been wanting since the conclusion of the 2012 Australian Open. Nadal pushed Djokovic for nearly 6 hours (6 hours!) in Melbourne. Can Rafa reverse the tide of 3 consecutive Grand Slam final losses to Novak? If Monte Carlo and Rome’s results are to be taken seriously,…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 