FEDERER IS PURE CLASS IN JUST VERY SINGLE WAY THE BEST EVER |  | (Federer is one of the all time Tennis greats, and has dominated the game in recent years)
Orbitennis, april 4, 2012
Roger Federer was the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title. He was born on August 8, 1981, in Basel, Switzerland. His parents, Robert Federer and Lynette Du Rand, met while on a business trip for a pharmaceutical company where they both worked.
Federer is the winner of the most major singles titles in men's tennis history He's the tennis player whose record 16 Grand Slam singles titles have made him the dominant men's player of his time and one of the greatest of all time. Federer turned pro in 1998 after a stellar career in junior competition. He made a name for himself in 2001 by beating defending champion Pete Sampras in a match at Wimbledon before being knocked out himself in the quarterfinals. Federer won the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 2003, and in 2004 he again won Wimbledon and added the Australian and U.S. Opens, with only a third-round loss in the French Open keeping him from the Grand Slam. Federer won his third consecutive Wimbledon in 2005, defeating Andy Roddick in the finals for the second year in a row. He then defeated Andre Agassi for his second straight U.S. Open title. In 2006 he lost to Rafael Nadal in the finals of the French Open, beat Nadal in the finals at Wimbledon and defeated Roddick to win the U.S. Open. His 2007 victories at the Australian Open, Wimbledon (again beating Nadal) and the U.S. Open, plus a 2008 win at the U.S. Open, gave him a total of 13 Grand Slam men's singles titles, one short of Sampras's career record of 14. He tied Sampras with a win at the French Open in 2009; his win also meant he had won each of the major titles at least once. Federer then passed Sampras with 15 major titles when he beat Roddick in the Wimbledon finals on 5 July 2009, and started 2010 by beating Andy Murray for his fourth Australian Open championship and his 16th major overall.
Federer took an interest in sports at an early age, playing tennis and soccer at the age of 8. The young athlete excelled at athletics, and by the age of 11 he was among the top 3 junior tennis players in Switzerland. At the age of 12, he decided to quit other sports and focus all his efforts on tennis, which he felt he excelled at more naturally. By the age of 14, he was fully immersed in the game, playing 2-3 tournaments per month, and practicing 6 hours of the game a week along with up to 3 hours of conditioning. To perfect his technique, he often imitated his idols, Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg.
At 14, he became the national junior champion in Switzerland, and was chosen to train at the Swiss National Tennis Center in Ecublens, and had his his first sponsorship by the age of 16. He joined the International Tennis Federation junior tennis circuit in July 1996. In 1998, shortly before he turned pro Federer won the junior Wimbledon title and the Orange Bowl. He was recognized as the ITF World Junior Tennis champion of the year.
In 1998, he won the Wimbledon boys' singles and doubles titles in 1998 and turned professional later that year. At Wimbledon 2001 he caused a sensation by knocking out reigning singles champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round. In 2003, following a successful season on grass, Federer became the first Swiss man to win a Grand Slam title when he became Wimbledon singles champion.
At the beginning of 2004, Federer had a world ranking of number 2, and during that year won the Australian Open, the U.S. Open, the ATP Masters, and retained the Wimbledon singles title. He was ranked number 1 at the start of 2005 and his successes that year include the Wimbledon singles title for a third successive year, and the U.S. Open.
Federer held on to his number 1 ranking at the start of 2006, winning the Australian Open, his fourth successive Wimbledon singles title, and his third successive U.S. Open. Continuing to dominate the sport, the right-handed champion won the singles title at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open again as well as the Australian Open in 2007. Currently ranked No. 1 on the ATP Tour, Federer has been named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award three times??in 2005, 2006, and 2007.
Federer was in the finals for a sixth U.S. Open win, and with the option of victory came the possibility of breaking several records. Federer lost, however, to Juan Martin del Potro.
When he's not on tour, Federer lives in Oberwil, Switzerland. Outside of tennis, he established the Roger Federer Foundation to support projects that help children learn worldwide and that promote sports in his native Switzerland.
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DJOKOVIC CONTINUES TO LEAD THE ATP RANKING |  | (Djokovic is the number one in the world)
Orbitennis, 1 April 2012
Novak Djokovic's third Miami Masters title on Sunday had the world number one looking back fondly on his Florida triumphs, but more importantly looking ahead -- to the clay court season and beyond.
"Any title is big, and it means a lot," Djokovic said after beating Andy Murray 6-1, 7-6 (7/4) in the final at Key Biscayne. "Such a big tournament that is considered one of the biggest in our sport.
"I won three times here. I think that says enough about how I feel playing in Miami."
Djokovic, who won his first Miami title in 2007 and beat Rafael Nadal in the final last year, said the successful title defence was a boost heading into the Monte Carlo Masters.
He didn't drop a set in Miami, closing out his quarter-final, semi-final and final opponents with second-set tiebreakers to preserve that record.
"This is going to be very encouraging for me prior to the clay court season," said Djokovic.
If he can claim clay's biggest prize, the French Open, he would hold all for major titles at once.
First, however, he'll tackle the Monte Carlo Masters.
"I didn't play it last year," said Djokovic, who won Masters titles on clay at Madrid and Rome last year but fell in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. "I look forward to it. I want to start well. I want to start strong.
"Clay demands the most physical effort out of all surfaces. You have to be physically very fit. Your endurance has to be on a very high level, because all the long rallies that you play on hard courts, it's double that on clay."
While Djokovic hasn't matched the astonishing 43-match winning run he put together in the first half of 2011, he has earned one Grand Slam title this year at the Australian Open.
He reached the semi-finals at Dubai and at Indian Wells before lifting the trophy in Miami -- encouraging signs in a 2012 campaign in which he is also focused on retaining his Wimbledon crown and on the London Olympics.
"I think I'm playing equally well as I did 12 months ago," he said. "But again, it's different. It's a different approach. I still want to fight for every title, not really defending or calculating how many points I can lose and things like that.
"I'm playing at the peak of my form. I have to use that as much as I can."
Far from separating himself from his rivals, Djokovic said he believes the top players on the men's tour are closer than ever.
"There is no gap, really," he said. "Every tournament is a new opportunity for all the players to win a title. That's how I look at it."
ATP Rankings - Last update: Monday, 2 April 2012
Rank Name & Nationality Points
1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) 12,670
2 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) 9,935
3 Federer, Roger (SUI) 9,035
4 Murray, Andy (GBR) 8,040
5 Ferrer, David (ESP) 4,700
6 Tsonga, Jo-Wilfried (FRA) 4,670
7 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) 3,725
8 Tipsarevic, Janko (SRB) 2,820
9 Fish, Mardy (USA) 2,730
10 Del Potro, Juan Martin (ARG) 2,660
11 Isner, John (USA) 2,630
12 Almagro, Nicolas (ESP ) 2,250
13 Simon, Gilles (FRA) 2,050
14 Monfils, Gael (FRA) 2,015
15 Lopez, Feliciano (ESP) 1,855
16 Monaco, Juan (ARG) 1,810
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DJOKOVIC EXPLAINS IN MIAMI WHY HE IS THE THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE TENNIS PLAYER |  | ( NOVAK DJOKOVIC BEATS ANDY MURRAY TO WIN THE 2012 MIAMI MASTERS)
Orbitennis, april 1, 2012
"Djokovic wins 3rd Sony Ericsson Open title, joins Agassi (6) & Sampras (3) on 3 or more in Miami. Reigning champion Novak Djokovic beat a stubborn 21st-seeded Juan Monaco 6-0, 7-6 to book a re-match of the 2009 Miami Masters final with Scotland’s Andy Murray today.
Since his victory at the Australian Open in January, Novak Djokovic has rarely resembled the unbeatable force that dominated men’s tennis in 2011. But Djokovic, the world’s No. 1 player, showed why he remains the man to beat when the Grand Slam season resumes in two months at the French Open.
During Sunday’s 6-1, 7-6 (4) victory over No. 4 Andy Murray in the Sony Ericsson Open championship, Djokovic at various points relied on each facet of his game to overcome fatigue, South Florida’s heat and a determined opponent. Djokovic, 24, who won Wimbledon and the United States Open in 2011 before winning in Australia, now looks to become the first man since Rod Laver (in 1969) to win four consecutive Grand Slam tournaments.
Murray, who got the better of Djokovic in the 2009 title match, reached the final through a walkover when Rafael Nadal pulled out with a sore left knee. Djokovic, meanwhile, breezed through his first set in just 27 minutes and appeared to be cruising to a victory when Monaco improved in a marathon second set which lasted one hour, 36 minutes. It marked the second day in a row Djokovic struggled to finish off an opponent and needed a tiebreaker to clinch it.
“As I did in the quarter-finals, I started very strong, just going for the shots, being very aggressive, then I just wasn’t able to close it out,” said Djokovic. “It was a very similar match to the one against Ferrer. All credit to Monaco for staying in the match, fighting and coming back.”
Murray, though, was surprised to be handed a berth in the final, especially since it was his second walkover victory of the tournament.“It hasn’t really happened to me that often where even one guy has done that,” said Murray, who had also reached the last 16 without hitting a shot when Canadian Milos Raonic pulled out of their third-round clash.
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NOVAK DJOKOVIC DEMUESTRA QUIEN ES EL NUMERO UNO DEL ORBE |  | (Djokovic brillante campeón en el torneo de tenis Masters 1000 de Miami, Sony Ericsson Open 2012.)
Orbitennis, 1 de abril de 2012
El tenista serbio, Novak Djokovic, número 1 del orbe, triunfó en la final de Miami, y revalidó el título que consiguió contra Rafael Nadal en el 2011. Djokovic venció este domingo al escocés Andy Murray, cuarto clasificado, con marcador final de 6-1 y 7-6 (7/4), y se llevó el trofeo de campeón del torneo de tenis Masters 1000 de Miami, Sony Ericsson Open 2012.
Djokovic venció en este torneo por tercera vez y se convirtió así en el tercer jugador con tres o más torneos en su haber, junto a los estadounidenses Andre Agassi (6) y Pete Sampras (3).
Con el primer set a su favor 2-1, Djokovic quebró al británico en nueve alargues luego de estar debajo 0-30 y 15-40, para ponerse arriba 3-1 y encaminar el set inicial a su favor.
El serbio, viniendo siempre de abajo en el segundo set, consiguió empatarlo 5-5 y consiguió extenderlo gracias a un error no forzado del británico. En el duodécimo game, con el servicio en su poder, Djokovic impuso su saque y dos alargues empató 6-6 para enviar el set a 'tie-break'. Djokovic comenzó el desempate al frente 1-0 a lograr un miniquiebre del servicio de Murray y con el servicio a su favora logró ponerse al frente 2-1, pero Murray empató a 2-2 al dejar caer la pelota pegada a la red.
Después, el número uno mundial impuso de nuevo su saque para irse al frente 5-2 y posteriormente llevarse el tie-break, el partido y el trofeo de flamante campeón. Djokovic con relativa tranquilidad transitó su camino en Miami, al superar al argentino Juan Mónaco, al chipriota Marcos Baghdatis con doble 6-4; a su compatriota Viktor Troicki por 6-3, 6-4; al francés Richard Gasquet por 7-5, 6-3 y al español David Ferrer por 6-2, 7-6 (7/1).
Djokovic tomó desquite en una final en Miami, ya que el único título del británico en esta sede fue en el 2009, cuando precisamente le ganó al serbio. Murray, que ganó este año Brisbane y fue finalista en Dubai y semifinalista en el Abierto de Australia, tuvo menos trabajo para llegar a la final en Miami. En el inicio del torneo eliminó al colombiano Alejandro Falla por 6-2, 6-3; luego al francés Gilles Simon 6-3, 6-4 y al serbio Janko Tipsarevic por 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Pero no necesitó jugar para deshacerse del canadiense Milos Raonic y del español Rafael Nadal, quienes se retiraron por sendas lesiones.
Djokovic, que no perdió un set en este torneo, defendió los 1000 puntos para el escalafón mundial, mantuvo su diferencia en el ránling con Nadal y obtuvo un premio de 659.775 dólares, mientras que el británico Murray alcanzó 600 puntos para el ranking y un cheque por 321.990 dólares.
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FEDERER RECOGNIZED AS THE BEST TENNIS PLAYER OF ALL TIME |  | (Roger, the best ever)
Orbitennis, March 25, 2012
Roger Federer was selected as the best player of all time by a U.S. sports channel television. The program called "The 100 Greatest of all time" was done by the Tennis Channel and put Federer above the Australian Rod Laver, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova and American Pete Sampras. Sixth was the Spanish Rafael Nadal Nadal. This list of 100 largest is made by an international panel of experts in the sport.
Federer who despite having 30 years, with each passing day, continues to forge his tennis legend of magic and fantasy, continues to reap victories against formidable players younger and faster than him, and continues to meet brand and breaking records. It is certainly the best, his record confirms, he has 16 Grand Slams, 19 Masters Series titles, and 6 wins in the prestigious Masters Tournament. He has been world number one ranking in the ATP, for 285 weeks and is only a week of record-equaling Pete Sampras, who is considered alongside John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Lendl, Laver, Bjorg and Agassi one of the best of all time.
McEnroe, Becker, Agassi and Sampras think that Federer is the best of all time, they think he's the most talented. Including his main rival of the circuit, the Spanish Rafael Nadal, once acknowledged: "Federer is the best player ever. No other player has ever had this level of quality. "
"Roger is the best I've ever played against," Agassi said. There's nowhere to go. Roger makes you play on the edge. You need to play the craziest tennis you've ever played."
"Pete Sampras was great. I mean, no question. But there was a place to get to with Pete, you knew what you had to do. If you did it, it could be on your terms. There's no such place like that with Roger," Agassi said.
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FEDERER DEFEATS RYAN HARRISON AT KEY BISCAYNE FLORIDANE |  | (Federer defeated Ryan Harrison in Miami)
Orbitennis, 24 march 2012
Federer the best player in tennis history, who is currently number three in the world, today in Miami defeated Ryan Harrison with a score of 6-2, 7-6(3). On the verge of victory, Roger Federer stopped playing when he thought a pivotal point had ended. He mistook a fan's shout for a linesman's call, which cost him the game. A fan hollered "Out!" and Federer stopped. By the time he realized the ball was still in play, Harrison had won the point — and the game.
At 55 minutes, it looked like Federer would serve out the match at 5-3.But Federer made some errors including a mis-framed overhead that missed the court. At 15-40, Federer hit a return deep to Harrison’s baseline. A fan yelled “out”, and Federer guided Harrison’s return to the sidelines, not realizing the play was still live. The chair umpire told Federer it was a fan’s distraction, and Federer was unable to contest the ruling or break of serve.
Harrison, to his credit, rallied with more fire. He relaxed more, won a couple of long points and took advantage of Federer mistakes. At one exchange, a Harrison net cord dropped lovingly over Federer’s side of the net.
A point later, with Federer controlling a rally, a lines person made a critical error of judgment in calling a Federer shot out. The replay showed the shot to be on the inner half of the line. Federer had to replay the point and lost it.
Though Harrison gutted out the final 25 minutes for a respectable finish, Federer finished off the tie-breaker with a 7-3 win.
"It completely threw me off," Federer said. "It's the first time it has ever happened in my career. I was like, 'That's it? That's a break point? This is how this is going to happen?'". Play continued for another 25 minutes before Federer finally closed out his opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open by beating 19-year-old American Ryan Harrison 6-2, 7-6 (3). "I'd like to make it a bit more difficult for my opponent," Federer said. "I was just completely confused about the whole situation."
Federer led 5-2 in the second set and had a chance to finish in less than an hour until he lost two fluky points that extended the match. Serving at 5-3, Federer blew an easy overhead to fall behind 15-30. One point later, facing break point for the only time in the match, Federer hit a forehand that landed on the baseline.
A fan hollered "Out!" and Federer stopped. By the time he realized the ball was still in play, Harrison had won the point — and the game.
"It completely threw me off," Federer said. "It's the first time it has ever happened in my career. I was like, 'That's it? That's a break point? This is how this is going to happen?'"
Harrison took advantage of the break, although he said he felt bad about it.
"Obviously I want to win every point the right way, and not because something happened," the teenager said. "Unfortunately somebody interrupted play."
After Harrison held twice to force the tiebreaker, Federer hit a spectacular lunging lob to turn a scrambling exchange his way for a 4-2 lead. Four points later, he closed out his 40th victory in the past 42 matches. "I felt like I had to win the match like three times at the end, so I was relieved to come through," he said.
Federer has a 77-match winning streak against players outside the top 20. Harrison is ranked 73rd but on the rise. "He'll make his move up the rankings," Federer said. "He's a good athlete. I hope he stays healthy so he can show everyone what he's got."
The No. 3-seeded Federer's opponent in the third round will be another American, familiar foil Roddick. They've played 23 times and Roddick has won only twice, although he did beat Federer at Key Biscayne in 2008. Federer will next take on longtime opponent Andy Roddick, who has usually taken the brunt of their battles.
For Federer, it was another successful March in the early stages of the Sony Ericsson Open, and more importantly another move forward in his quest for Grand Slam glory.
"There's no getting around the fact that he has been the biggest obstacle in my career," Roddick said. "His game matches up well against mine."
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