Face Of The Day

AP

Germany's Nicolas Kiefer returns the ball to Tomas Berdych from the Czech Republic in their first round match at the Mercedes Cup ATP tennis tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Tuesday, July 14, 2009.

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Mercedes Cup

Singles - First Round
[1] G Simon (FRA) d P Petzschner (GER) 63 64
N Kiefer (GER) d [3] T Berdych (CZE) 63 63
[5] P Kohlschreiber (GER) d D Junqueira (ARG) 63 62
[LL] A Sidorenko (FRA)* d [Q] D Munoz-De La Nava (ESP) 76(3) 16 62
F Fognini (ITA) d [7] F Santoro (FRA) 57 76(3) 61
J Chardy (FRA) d [8] J Acasuso (ARG) 62 76(4)
M Zverev (GER) d G Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 62 64
[WC] S Greul (GER) d A Beck (GER) 76(4) 76(5)
O Hernandez (ESP) d J Tipsarevic (SRB) 64 64
R Schuettler (GER) d I Minar (CZE) 26 76(2) 64
*[LL] A Sidorenko (FRA) replaced [6] A Montanes (ESP) - left leg

Doubles - First Round
[2] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Melo (BRA) d L Arnold Ker (ARG) / P Cuevas (URU) 61 64
V Hanescu (ROU) / H Tecau (ROU) d [3] L Dlouhy (CZE) / D Skoch (CZE) 62 46 14-12

Catella Swedish Open

Singles - First Round
J Monaco (ARG) d [8] M Gonzalez (ARG) 76(4) 36 61
D Koellerer (AUT) d S Darcis (BEL) 16 63 64
[Q] P Luczak (AUS) d A Martin (ESP) 62 62
B Phau (GER) d [WC] D Berta (SWE) 63 62
[Q] G Canas (ARG) d [WC] G Dimitrov (BUL) 63 76(2)
[Q] P Starace (ITA) d J Benneteau (FRA) 76(5) 63
K Vliegen (BEL) d M Granollers (ESP) 76(3) 64

Doubles - First Round
R Lindstedt (SWE) / R Soderling (SWE) d [2] J Brunstrom (SWE) / J Rojer (AHO) 64 64
[3] J Levinsky (CZE) / F Polasek (SVK) d J Cerretani (USA) / A Qureshi (PAK) 26 63 10-6
[4] M Lopez (ESP) / T Robredo (ESP) d S Darcis (BEL) / F Gil (POR) 63 62
M Granollers (ESP) / P Starace (ITA) d P Marx (GER) / B Phau (GER) 76(3) 46 10-4

One Helluva Match

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Getty


Getty


Getty

Andy Roddick needed his best and most focused tennis to dismiss an uncharacteristically calm and surprisingly in-form Nicolas Kiefer in straights.

Face Of The Day

Getty

Nicolas Kiefer of Germany changes his shirt in his quarterfinal match against Sebastien Grosjean of France during day ten of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park January 25, 2006 in Melbourne, Australia. Nicolas Kiefer has withdrawn from the Australian Open after failing to recover from a left ankle injury sustained last week playing for Germany at the Hopman Cup he notified organizers on January 17, 2009. The No. 37-ranked Kiefer will be replaced by a qualifier.

Rogers Cup Final - Open Thread

Rafael Nadal, our second finalist.

His Heaviness vs. His Famous Ass

If no one chokes, this one could go fast.

Who will come out on top?

I sense some flip-flopping and a closer match than the score will suggest.

Murray vs. Nadal - Open Thread

Nicolas "His Heaviness" Kiefer, our first finalist.

Talk amongst yourselves during the marquee match.

Rogers Cup Quarterfinals Preview

We've got some great matchups set for today in Toronto. In the wide open first quarter that included those two despairing top players we picked apart the last few days, Croatian teen Marin Cilic and summer surprise Gilles Simon face off. Simon has to be favored simply because he's on a winning streak.

Nicolas Kiefer will play James Blake, the highest seed remaining in the top half, in the second quarter. Can't trust James to pull this out, but if he keeps his head and plays his game, he really ought to. Kiefer enjoys the summer hardcourts and his game is well-suited to the blue stuff, but he's simply not mentally engaged in big matches anymore. We'll see if he can turn that around today.

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic could be a barnburner. Or a demolition. And I'm not saying who will demolish whom.

And the match of the day ought to be Richard Gasquet against Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal. I've said it before and mean it again, but I believe Rafa's game on the summer hardcourts has suffered from his tough losses in Wimbledon finals over the past two seasons. Well, this year, that monkey is off his back and he's playing with confidence instead of despair. Richie has had success in Toronto and seems in good form after his beatdown of David Ferrer late last night.

Who do you think will make the final four?

Wimbledon 2008: The John Kieran Slam Awards

I started the John Kieran Grand Slam Awards back in February of last year after we covered our first Slam in Melbourne but never came back to them. Until now. Without further ado, the Kieran goes to... (Click on Getty images to enlarge.)

Performance by a female
Serena Williams against Bethanie Mattek, 4th Round



Sure, Serena lost fewer games in her blistering quarterfinal victory over former junior champ Agnieszka Radwanska, but it was her all-court performance against the unlikely American fourth rounder that stole the show.

Performance by a male
Rafael Nadal against Roger Federer, Final



Rafa showed out, and I mean showed out, all fortnight playing such exquisite tennis, revealing the heart of a warrior, and his recovery from choked sets and matchpoints to win the best decisive set in the best final played on the lawns of Wimbledon was nothing short of spellbinding.

Performance by a male player in a choking role
Novak Djokovic against Marat Safin



Sometimes a choke begins on the first ball. Such was the choke Djoke performed against Marat, his friend and mentor, in the second round. Sure, Marat played well, but Djoke couldn't find the court with his shots, so frozen by nerves. And the pressure of expectations.

Performance by a female player in a choking role
Ana Ivanovic against Nathalie Dechy, 1st Round



I know, I know. She won the match. Yeah, well, her erratic, childish performance against the crafty Frenchwoman foretold her demise in the very next round. She's clearly not ready for her closeup.

Grand Slam breakthrough performance
Zheng Jie, China



Just two years after Li Na became China's first Slam quarterfinalist right here at Wimbledon, Zheng become's the nation's first Slam semifinalist. She's winning another Kieran, so we'll come back to her.

Grand Slam comeback performance
Marat Safin, Russia



He used to be allergic to grass. Said, after an early exit, he'd never play Wimbledon again. But after struggling with injury and ennui, Marat is back and in devastating form. After handling the world No. 3 with no trouble, he put on an exquisite display of tennis in his third round victory over Andreas Seppi, one of the best matches of the fortnight. Two rounds later, he dismissed Feliciano Lopez, a player who gave him fits on every surface and whom he'd never beaten on grass, to become the first Russian man to make the Wimbledon semifinals in the Open Era.

Performance by a talking head - drama
Virginia Wade, Wimbledon Live
There's simply no one better.

Performance by a talking head - comedy
Pam Shriver, ESPN
Almost everything she says makes me laugh. Even when it's not funny.

Achievement in costume design
Sharapova's Tuxedo, Nike



It brought out the butch in her. It reminded me of the Greta Garbo-esque attire of Ellen Degeneres when she hosts big awards shows. And it stood in stark contrast to the femme get-ups she and her girlfriend Camille Belle wore at Paris Fashion Week days after she was humiliated in the second round.

Achievement in cinematography
Cameraperson, Nicolas Kiefer against Rafael Nadal, 3rd Round



The sexy German has the heaviest basket of any ATP player. When it flips and flops and flops and flips, it makes quite an impression. I especially loved all the slow-motion replays during the match.

Adapted screenplay
Sister, Sister by Serena and Venus Williams



The sisters returned to their heyday by facing off in their first Slam final since Wimbledon 2003. But this time, Venus wanted it more, adapted to her sister's play, and took the championship with grace and grit. Hours later, a triumphant Venus and a sulking Serena united to win their first doubles Slam title since Wimbledon 2002, the year Serena won her first Wimbledon singles title over Venus. Theirs is the story that truly inspires, that truly amazes, in tennis, in all of sport.

Original screenplay
Wild Card by Jheng Zie



After recently recovering from ankle surgery, Zheng's ranking couldn't get her into the main draw of a Slam. So she wrote a letter to the AELTC and urged the powers that be to grant her a wild card. They honored her request. Round after round, she angled her powerful backhand, past the new world No. 1, the biggest upset of the fortnight, past Agnes Szavay, past Nicole Vaidisova, right into the semifinals. In the wake of her historic performance, the new WTA Asia-Pacific headquarters have opened in Beijing. Just in time for the Olympics. That must've been some letter.

Best motion picture
As Good As It Gets by Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer



The best match I've ever seen. Period. The scintillating shotmaking, the sound and fury of battle, the heartstopping drama, the chanting, dueling "Ra-JA!" (clap clap) "Ra-FA!"(clap clap) crowd, the spectacle of sportsmanship, the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat, the weeping for both, the new king's historic walk right up to royalty, the trophy ceremony at dusk, the lights, the cameras, the action. It just don't get no better than that.

Winners & Errors

by Helen W

Herewith a highly-personal and eclectic review of the Wimbledon Week 1 men's draw.

Winners
Naturally Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal head the list, but I'd like to highlight some of the lesser-known players or unexpected standouts. But before I do, mention must also go to Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet -- are they finally going to play up to their talent?

Andreas Beck



Yes, the 22-year-old lefty qualifier lost in the first round. But his opponent, in his first-ever Slam match, was no less than Rafa. He lost in 3 tight sets 6-4, 6-4, 7-6 and stood tough for the entire match, belying his 122 ranking.

Ernests Gulbis



Who is Ernests Gulbis? Almost everyone believes that he is a future top-ten player. In losing to Rafa (7-5, 2-6, 6-7, 3-6) he became the first player to take a set off him in since heaven knows when. And like Beck before him, he rose to the occasion, playing great tennis.

Bobby Reynolds



No American man made it to week 2, but 26-year-old journeyman Bobby Reynolds, currently ranked 102, was the only one who made it into the third round, before going down to Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4.

Nicolas Kiefer



I used to dislike Kiefer as a player who would do anything to win, including cheat. See this article for an account of an ugly racket-throwing incident in a match against Sebastian Grosjean. But after the latest of his numerous injuries, Kiefer seems to have had an epiphany, and has relinquished his win-at-all-costs attitude and replaced it with a more generous outlook. These are the kinds of stories that always warm my heart.

Anyway, Kiefer also went down to Nadal in straights 7-6, 6-2, 6-3 but showed his amazing shotmaking in the tight first set. In the third , down 5-0, he raised his hands in mock celebration when he finally held his serve, then electrified the crowd by breaking Rafa (for the first time in the match) in the next game. He held his next serve before Rafa slammed the door and left the court, happy that he had managed to complete his match before dark and could now get football finally out of his head on Sunday.

Rainer Schuettler



Remember him? At age 32 he is the oldest man left in the draw. Up until Wimbledon his record for the year is 4 - 13 (ouch). But in 2003, he advanced to his first career slam final at the Aussie open (lost to Agassi), and finished the year ranked 6 in the world. In 2004 he was briefly ranked 5, after which his ranking declined and has never recovered. His last final was Monte Carlo in 2004. His next opponent is Janko Tipsarevic, so I predict that his run at Wimby will end there, but congrats to the veteran for getting into week 2.

Marat Safin



Remember him? Year after year we hope that his life as a headcase is finally behind him. Will this be the year? Well, for the first time in yonks, by his own admission, he has won 2 matches in a row. Perhaps the recent successes of little sis have inspired him? He has told the press that he has been training very hard to get back into top form.

His first surprise at Wimbledon, and it was a shocker, was taking out Novak Djokovic in straights (6-4 7-6 6-2) in the second round. Some fans were unkind enough to suggest to Djokoer that he should first win, then talk. Others commented on how lucky Roger was, with Marat doing the job of taking out his biggest threat for him.

But I digress. Was Marat's win just a fluke? Would he go back to headcaseland in the very next match? Happily, no. He played an enthralling match against Andreas Seppi last Friday (one of the best days of tennis I can remember), where as darkness fell he eventually prevailed 7-6, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4. A fantastic effort by both players -- no-one lost this match, Marat won it against a worthy opponent who gave his best.

Here's hoping!

Andreas Seppi



See above. This year the 24-year-old righty is ranked 30 in the world, and has reached the semis in Hamburg and the quarters at Nottingham.

Janko Tipsarevic



I'm sure most tennisheads remember Tipsy taking Roger to 5 sets at the Australian Open. Well, now we know for sure that that was not a fluke -- he took out Roddick 6-7, 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 in the second round on Centre Court Wimbledon, at the same time as Schuettler was taking out James Blake 6-3, 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. He then proceeded to take out Dmitry Tursunov in straights, and his next match is against Schuettler, so I predict he will make the quarters.

Mario Ancic



Finally completely over his case of mono, and sporting his new law degree, Ancic played a thrilling match against David Ferrer, where he eventually prevailed 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 on Centre Court on the same day as Marat played Seppi. And again, it was a match of the highest calibre, which was won, not lost.

Honourable Mentions
Besides Murray and Gasquet, the following players also deserve a nod:

• Marcos Baghdatis
  He of the electrifying smile has reached the fourth round. However, he has had a relatively easy draw so far. Is he back in form? His next match is against Feli, and I predict he will make it to the quarters.


• Marin Cilic
  At 19 years old, Croation Marin Cilic is the youngest player left in the draw. His next match is against Arnaud Clement (at age 31, the second-oldest player left in the draw), and I predict he too will make it to the quarters.


• Arnaud Clement
  Currently ranked 145, Clement has taken out 3 higher-ranked players (Jonas Bjorkam, 128; Benjamin Becker, 116; Jurgen Melzer, 72) to reach the 4th round.


• Fabrice Santoro
  This is probably the last Wimbledon for The Magician. He requested, and was granted, the honour of playing on Centre Court for the first (and last) time at Wimby, where he entertained us all going down in straight sets (6-3 6-4 7-6) to Andy Murray in his first-round match. (He and doubles partner Marc Gicquel also went down in their first-round match to Max Mirnyi & Jamie Murray.)

Errors
Errors don't get pix. Any guesses?

Andy Roddick
Surprise! (Not). Where has his forehand gone? Oh never mind.

James Blake
Surprise! (Not). Just as Roddick's play desolated Craig & Tangerine, James's play desolated me. I adore Blake, for taking sportsmanship to another level. But the heartbreak! Oh never mind.

Novak Djokovic
For most of us, this was definitely a surprise, and for many of us, a happy one. Maybe he won't be No. 1 in the world at the end of the year, as so many of his fawning followers (JMac is that you?) have so confidently predicted.


Marin Cilic

Madrid Day 5: Surprise, Surprise

Before yesterday, all we could do was imagine what the matchup would look like. How would one of the tour's best tacticians, armed with clean ball striking, fare against the tour's toughest warrior with the strongest will?

It was no contest. David Nalbandian beat Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-2 in just over an hour to a crowd so stunned, it hissed at the Argentine during the match for playing so well. Nalbandian struck me as a man who had the game to cause Rafa all sorts of trouble, but the scoreline was a surprise, as was David's mental fortitude through the completion of the match.

"I took advantage of all of Rafa's bad shots," David said. "I think Rafa never felt comfortable out there."

Rafa, back in action after a layoff to allow his knees to heal was seen limping after his tough match against Andy Murray the night before. But the Spaniard didn't blame his knees for his poor play.

"I don't want to come up with an excuse," Rafa said. "When you lose, you lose. I think the result reflects enough. It wasn't my day. I never felt good at any point."

That's a wrap.

In the semifinals, Nalbandian will play Novak Djokovic who dismissed Mario Ancic 7-6(3), 6-4. David will try to avenge the straight-set drubbing he received at the hands of the Serb in Montreal this summer.



In a more competitive encounter, Nicolas Kiefer positioned himself for the ATP Comeback Player of the Year award with a 7-6(5), 6-2 victory of a tiring Fernando Gonzalez.

Kiwi, as some of his fans call him, came back this year after a long absence due to a career-threatening left wrist injury. One of the bad boys of tennis, the break from action and his work with sick children mellowed the German, turning him into a player I can actually see myself rooting for.

I'll certainly be rooting for him in the semifinals against Roger Federer who beat a deflated Feliciano Lopez 7-6(4), 6-4 in a match that never seemed as close as the score suggests. After a marathon eighth game in the first set that went to deuce more times than I remember with Lopez finally holding serve, the Spaniard threw the tiebreak away with more forehands over the baselines than I remember. Raja was never pressured on his serve throughout the match and moved a step closer to defending his title in Madrid.

Kiwi usually plays Raja tough. In the third round of Wimbledon 2005, he served for a fifth set against defending champion, only to lose his way and lose in four tough sets. If he doesn't expect much from himself and plays with nothing to lose, he'll hope to win at least another set off the man he hasn't defeated since 2002.