ATP Backspin Grass Court Awards

[London-to-Newport]

==BEST ENTRANCE==


==KINGS OF THE QUARTER==
(well, one King and a few Princes)

1.Roger Federer...all blazered up with somewhere to go
------------------------------
2.Rafael Nadal...a surprise, but welcome, guest on the final Sunday at SW19
------------------------------
3.Bob & Mike Bryan...at least two Americans had fun at Wimbledon
------------------------------
4.Lleyton Hewitt...the ultimate scatback is getting out-scatbacked more often these days, but he's still someone to reckon with
------------------------------
5.Jonas Bjorkman...he's become more a team player in recent years, but he got to re-live his former singles Top 5 youth this grass court season
------------------------------

==RISERS==
1.Marcos Baghdatis
2.Mario Ancic
3.Richard Gasquet
4.Radek Stepanek
5.Jarkko Nieminen
HM-Dmitry Tursunov

==SURPRISES==
1.Rafael Nadal (on grass)
2.Jonas Bjorkman
3.Fabrice Santoro/Nenad Zimonjic
4.Irakli Labadze
5.Justin Gimelstob
HM-Robert Kendrick

==VETERANS==
1.Jonas Bjorkman
2.Fabrice Santoro
3.Mark Philippoussis
4.Martin Damm/Leander Paes
5.Justin Gimelstob
HM-Paul Hanley/Kevin Ullyett

==FRESH FACES==
1.Andy Murray
2.Thiemo de Bakker
3.Novak Djokovic
4.Kellen Damico/Nathaniel Schnugg
5.Marcin Gawron
HM-Stanislas Wawrinka

==DOWN==
1.Andy Roddick
2.Ivo Karlovic
3.Thomas Johansson
4.James Blake (in 5-setters)
5.David Nalbandian
HM-Gael Monfils

==TOP PERFORMANCES==
1.Roger Federer extends grass court winning streak to 48 matches, and wins fourth straight Wimbledon title (naturally)
-----------------------------
2.Rafael Nadal makes surprise run to Wimbledon final
-----------------------------
3.Jonas Bjorkman, 34, makes Wimbledon singles SF
-----------------------------
4.Andre Agassi exits SW19 as a respected elder statesman
-----------------------------
5.Richard Gasquet awakens game, wins Nottingham title
-----------------------------

==BREAKOUT==
...James Blake defeats three-time defending champ Andy Roddick on the grass in London SF, then surpasses him as the top-ranked American after Wimbledon

==OH NO, OH YES, OH NO, OH YES, OH NO, OH YES (HOPEFULLY)==
Andy Murray's results continue to trail off without Mark Petchey as his coach as he loses in the 1st Round at London... then he wins "Battle of the Andys" over Roddick at Wimbledon, only to lose to Marcos Baghdatis in the intense heat in his next match... but then crushes near-Nadal SW19 conqueror Robert Kendrick 6-0/6-0 in Newport, only to lose to Justin Gimelstob in the SF... and now it could be announced at any moment that (Sir?) Brad Gilbert will be working with him as a coach in association with his expected duties with the LTA in England.

==WHEN A SURPRISE IS A PRELUDE==
...Rafael Nadal was fairly impressive in reaching the QF of London just before Wimbledon, even taking a set from Lleyton Hewitt before retiring from the match with a sore shoulder. Who would've thought it'd be just a taste of what he'd do at SW19?

==WHEN A SURPRISE ISN'T A PRELUDE==
...In the tune-up event in Halle, Olivier Rochus held four match points against Roger Federer. Federer saved them all and won the match (and the Halle title), but that and a seemingly tough draw appeared to make him at least a little vulnerable at Wimbledon. Guess not. He only lost one of twenty-two sets at the All-England Club, and it was in a tie-break in the final.

==WHEN A PRELUDE IS A DISAPPOINTMENT==
...Richard Gasquet's title in Nottingham seemed to make him a stern test for Federer in the 1st Round of Wimbledon. He wasn't, and Federer swatted him away like an annoying gnat. (On the bright side, Gasquet won a title on clay right after SW19.)

==NOT A CURSE, AT LEAST NOT FOR HIM==
...dating Martina Hingis has often proved to be a sign of a career apocalypse, as her past tennis-playing boyfriends (Justin Gimelstob, for one) have seen their results dip in short order. But new beau Radek Stepanek actually outlasted Martina in the Wimbledon draw, reaching the QF in comparison to her 3rd Round result.

==WHEN THINGS GO BAD, THEY REALLY GO BAD==
...just ask Robert Kendrick. He had a two sets to none lead over Nadal at Wimbledon, only to see the Spaniard wiggle off the hook and win in five. Then, in Newport, Kendrick got whipped by Murray 6-0/6-0. Hard to tell what he'll be thinking when the grass court season rolls around next season.

==SIX OF ONE, HALF A DOZEN OF THE OTHER==
...usually, Jonas Bjorkman can be counted on to contend for a doubles title at Wimbledon. But since he made the singles SF, his doubles results suffered and he failed to even reach the SF in either Doubles or Mixed.

==CHEST BUMPS, NOT HEAD BUTTS==
...the Bryan twins reached their seventh straight slam doubles final, and their fourth slam crown as a team gave them a career Grand Slam.

==HE DIDN'T CLAIM HE WAS PREGNANT, SO...==
...Mariano Puerta got his 8-year drug suspension chipped down to two. When he was originally suspended, the ATP was applauded for having such a stern policy. What do those people say now? Hey, at least he didn't claim he failed the test because he was pregnant, ala Sesil Karatantcheva, right?

==THE BIZARRO FINAL==
...the Federer/Nadal final at Wimbledon was surprising, but it was nothing compared to what happened in Newport the following week. There, Mark Philippoussis reached his first final in nearly three years (Shanghai in September '03, just a few months after he was Wimbledon RU), and met 29-year old Justin Gimelstob, who advanced to the first tour singles final in his ten-year career. Philippoussis won, but Gimelstob might have been happier just to be there.

==BEST RIVALRIES==
1.Federer vs. Nadal
...with luck, this is the beginning of a beautiful --and heated -- friendship.
-----------------------------
2.Murray vs. Roddick
...San Jose, Wimbledon, and now Gilbert. "The Battle of the Andys" just developed a juicy off-court subplot. Now if only someone would introduce Murray to Mandy Moore.
-----------------------------
3.Nadal vs. Baghdatis
...outside of Federer/Nadal, the most exciting match-up out there. Certainly, no two players try harder.
-----------------------------
4.Roddick vs. Blake
...Blake is the top American, and Roddick is out of the Top 10. Blake beat him on grass, too, which amounted to rubbing salt in Roddick's changing of the guard wound.
-----------------------------
5.Tursunov vs. the umpire
...the Russian wasn't trying to injure the thumb of that Wimbledon umpire, or pull him from his chair. He was just trying out the new handshake he learned from watching so much MTV back in the States.
-----------------------------

==BEST EXIT==
...it's amazing what a difference about 20 years can make.




All for now.

========================

ALSO: The Federer/Nadal Quiz

Read more!

Don't Tug on Roger's Cape

So Federer/Nadal VIII wasn't exactly a repeat of their remarkable five-set final in Rome, but there was STILL a great deal on display that was thoroughly enjoyable.

We got one set of brilliance (6-0!! It was like Mike Tyson vs. Michael Spinks.) from Roger Federer, followed by a "great escape" by the world #1 when Rafael Nadal had a rare lapse and missed a huge opportunity when serving for the 2nd set at 5-4. A few double-faults there, then a couple loose points in the tie-break and King Roger was up two sets to love.

But it didn't end there, as Nadal refused to fold, grabbing the 3rd set in another tie-break (making one wonder what might have been had he been able to win the 2nd). Then, in the final Act of this play, Federer proved to be as unwilling to give up his Wimbledon throne in the 4th set as Nadal was not quite ready to take it from him... not yet, anyway. Federer is SW19 champion for a fourth straight year, but we saw enough at this tournament to think that Nadal could be ready to win this thing as early as next year.

Ah, now the U.S. Open is on the horizon, with Federer having re-established himself as the best in the world, as a player of his stature simply HAD to do today. Thing is, what happened at Centre Court on Day 13 will only give Nadal something more to inspire him to reach for. Remember, when he lost that two-set lead against Federer in Miami last year, all he followed it up with were five straight wins over him and a powerful two weeks at the All-England Club.

What will Nadal do with the memory of this near-miss? How will Federer react to finally getting the 20-year old out of his psyche, if only for one match? I know I can't wait to find out. Unlike "rivalries" such as the perpetually disappointing Venus vs. Serena, Federer/Nadal never lets us down. Even if the match ends in straight sets, the result immediately sets the conditions for the next match-up, then the one after that, and so on and so on and so on.

Federer was just kidding when he mentioned to Sue Barker that Bjorn Borg retired at age 25... the same age he'll turn in August. He's enjoying the challenge that Nadal has presented him with -- the opportunity to be the "best player who ever lived," but STILL having to strive to become even "more perfect" every year in order to maintain his lofty position (if only Steffi Graf had had such a long-term challenge). For a man who truly DOES want to be the best who ever lived, that's about as good as a career can get.

We can get REAL used to seeing this series play out for the rest of this decade... that IS as good as it gets.

==============================

**FEDERER vs. NADAL**
[Nadal leads 6-2]
04 Miami 3rd - Nadal 6-3/6-3
05 Miami F - Federer 2-6/6-7/7-6/6-3/6-1
05 RG SF - Nadal 6-3/4-6/6-4/6-3
06 Dubai F - Nadal 2-6/6-4/6-4
06 Monte Carlo F - Nadal 6-2/6-7/6-3/7-6
06 Rome F - Nadal 6-7/7-6/6-4/2-6/7-6
06 RG F - Nadal 1-6/6-1/6-4/7-6
06 Wimbledon F - Federer 6-0/7-6/6-7/6-3

**MOST WIMBLEDON TITLES**
7...Pete Sampras
7...William Renshaw
5...Bjorn Borg
5...Lawrence Doherty
4...ROGER FEDERER
4...Rod Laver
4...Tony Wilding
4...Reggie Doherty

**MOST CONSECUTIVE WIMBLEDON TITLES**
6...William Renshaw, 1881-86
5...Bjorn Borg, 1976-80
5...Lawrence Doherty, 1902-06
4...Pete Sampras, 1997-00
4...ROGER FEDERER, 2003-CURRENT
4...Tony Wilding, 1910-13
4...Reggie Doherty, 1897-00

**MOST SLAM TITLES - CAREER**
14...Pete Sampras
12...Roy Emerson
11...Bjorn Borg
11...Rod Laver
10...Bill Tilden
8....ROGER FEDERER
8....Andre Agassi
8....Jimmy Connors
8....Ivan Lendl
8....Fred Perry
8....Ken Rosewall

**MEN'S SLAM WINNERS - 2004-06**
2004
A: Roger Federer
R: Gaston Gaudio
W: Roger Federer
U: Roger Federer
2005
A: Marat Safin
R: Rafael Nadal
W: Roger Federer
U: Roger Federer
2006
A: Roger Federer
R: Rafael Nadal
W: Roger Federer

**MOST SLAM FINALS - ACTIVE**
15...Andre Agassi (8-7)
9....ROGER FEDERER (8-1)
4....Lleyton Hewitt (2-2)
4....Marat Safin (2-2)

**GRASS COURT WINNING STREAKS**
48...ROGER FEDERER, 2003-CURRENT
41...Bjorn Borg, 1976-81
23...John McEnroe, 1980-82
23...Pete Sampras, 1994-96
23...Pete Sampras, 1998-00

**MOST WEEKS AT #1**
286...Pete Sampras
270...Ivan Lendl
268...Jimmy Connors
170...John McEnroe
127...ROGER FEDERER (CURRENT)
109...Bjorn Borg
101...Andre Agassi

**MEN'S DOUBLES CAREER SLAM**
[Open Era]
Jacco Eltingh & Paul Haarhuis
Todd Woodbridge & Mark Woodforde
Bob Bryan & Mike Bryan

=============================

COMING UP: ATP Grass Court Awards, 2Q Backspin Quiz (Federer/Nadal)

Read more!