RealClearSports: Courting Success With Serena

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By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

WIMBLEDON, England — The reigning monarch of this nation is a lady, in gender and title. A queen, the queen. Women long have held positions of power, as we note from the bloody hands of Lady Macbeth. And yet the All England Lawn Championships seem an alpha male kingdom.

The guys, the big boys, Roger and Rafa, Djokovic and, most of all, Andy Murray of Scotland, a Brit, play their matches where we expect them to play their matches, either on famed if remodeled Centre Court or no less glamorous Court 1.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

SF Examiner: Football is thriving, just not in the US

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By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

Are you ready for some football? They have it here, in the papers 365 days a year — here meaning all of Great Britain, football meaning soccer. But there’s no lockout, so at least stories have substance.

Yes, Wimbledon, the All England Lawn Tennis Championships, is in full flower — and full of strawberries and cream, priced at $4 for a small bowl anywhere on the grounds.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Never count out this Williams sister

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By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

The career began on an autumn evening 17 years ago in a tournament at the old Oakland Arena. Venus Williams doesn’t even want to think about it ending, although for a while Wednesday others did consider the possibility.

This is what happens in women’s tennis when ...

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: Emotional Serena Finds Way to Persevere

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

WIMBLEDON, England — She proved she could. That's how Serena Williams viewed the win she got in the match she almost didn't play. The match that indicated she's as good as always.

The match that showed she can be as emotional as ever.

It's wrong for young people, and at 29 Serena still is young ...

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

Newsday (N.Y.): Isner wins Wimbledon rematch with Mahut

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England -- This time, it was just a tennis match, not a marathon. Wimbledon won't be putting up a plaque for John Isner-Nicolas Mahut II as was the case for their historic and extended meeting last year, and Isner, for one, is pleased.

The 6-9 Isner needed only 2 hours, 3 minutes to beat Mahut, a Frenchman, 7-6 (4), 6-2, 7-6 (6), Tuesday. Or 9 hours, 2 minutes earlier than in 2010.

That match started on Tuesday and finished Thursday, Isner taking the fifth set, 70-68. A plaque on the wall of Court 18 notes the time and games.

The sequel was played on the newly remodeled Court 3, after three other matches, and started around 6:30 p.m. There are no lights on the outside courts at Wimbledon.

"Chances are if I don't win the third set," Isner said, "we're not going to finish the match and we're talking about a second day."

When an announcer from the BBC asked if that would have brought back good memories, Isner said: "I don't think good memories, long memories. I'm glad they put us on Court 3. I don't think they want to tarnish the legacy of Court 18."

Isner, worn down in that 11-hour spectacle, had no chance against the Netherlands' Thiemo de Bakker the next day, losing, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2.

"It was a huge relief to put this one behind me," Isner said of the 2011 match. "I was a lot fresher. I was sort of lucky. His knee was bothering him."

Isner is known for his big serve, but he and Mahut each ended up with eight aces.

"Obviously, you want to be through to the next round," said Isner, who is No. 47 in the ATP rankings. "It's a nice feeling. Unlike last year, I don't have to sleep on this year's match."

Asked how he would compare the two, Isner, 26, said: "Nothing is going to live up to that match. Conditions were probably a little slower this time. I came out a little tight. I haven't played a grass-court match in a full year."

At the end, Isner leaned over the net and gave Mahut a hug.

"It was tough when someone had to lose the match last year,'' Isner said. "This time, he had nothing to hang his head about. One thing: I definitely don't want to play him in the first round again."

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/tennis/isner-wins-wimbledon-rematch-with-mahut-1.2974200
Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): Serena cries after Wimbledon 1st-round win

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By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

WIMBLEDON, England — She hit the winning shot, and then the moment hit Serena Williams. Sitting courtside, she cried and cried and cried.

She was back where she wanted to be, defending her Wimbledon championships of the past two years. Back where she feared she might never be.

Williams completed a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Aravane Rezai of France in her return Tuesday to the All England Club, virtually her return to tennis.

It was only her third match, all within the past week, after what Williams called "a disaster year," in which she missed nearly a year because of a severely cut foot, blood clots in her lungs that she said were life-threatening and a hematoma that had to be removed surgically.

"It definitely was so emotional for me," said Serena, at 29 the younger of the two sisters who have dominated the women's game for a decade. Serena has four Wimbledon singles titles, Venus, 31, has five. "You know throughout the last 12 months, I've been through a lot of things that's not normal. So it's been a long, arduous road. To stand up still is pretty awesome."

Williams, who is the seventh seed for this year's tournament, lost the first two games to the 24-year-old Rezai but won the next five. Asked if she were nervous before her first Grand Slam competition since beating Vera Zvonareva in last year's Wimbledon final, Williams said: "No. It was a little bit of not playing. I think I got a little tight. Not necessarily nervous."

Williams said Sunday that she injects herself with a drug called Lovenox, which combats deep vein thrombosis, before flying. She said she also has to wear "socks that aren't very attractive."

The experiences, stepping on a glass in Berlin a few days after her 2010 Wimbledon victory, and the medical diagnoses have changed Williams' perspective.

"I just learned you can never take any moment for granted," she said. "I've been doing so much just to try to appreciate every moment. When things happen, you appreciate people that are around you or may not be around. It's eye-opening as well as it makes you tougher."

Serena has won each of the four majors and a total of 13 majors overall.

"I'm hoping to play better," she said of her opener. "Now I feel like I can take a deep breath. I've been practicing better than I played today, so hopefully, I can get back to doing the right thing."

With no tears.

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/tennis/serena-cries-after-wimbledon-1st-round-win-1.2973636
Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

RealClearSports: Djokovic: A Streak Nobody Notices

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By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

It is a streak in the shadows, success in a virtual vacuum. Novak Djokovic had no trouble with Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. It's the Los Angeles Lakers and Justin Verlander who were the problems.

Djokovic's tennis has been superb. Djokovic's timing has been unfortunate.

What he's done has been remarkable ...

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

SF Examiner: Roddick’s path a lesson for rising star Harrison

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By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

Buster Posey, for one, seemed composed from the first time he picked up a baseball, or no less significantly picked up a team.

Same thing as the good people in San Francisco will verify, for Joe Montana, or in the vernacular of success, “Joe Cool.”

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: Federer Looks Back, Moves Ahead

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By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — There was clarification along with advancement. Roger Federer had no problems with his opponent in the BNP Paribas Open, Juan Ignacio Chela. "I'm happy it went so well,'' said Federer.

What didn't go well was that Wimbledon quarterfinal last summer.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

CBSSports.com: Nadal's Grand U.S. Open win puts him in great talks

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- The best player in the world. Novak Djokovic shouted it to a packed stadium. He was talking about Rafael Nadal. He was saying something we already know.

What we don't know is whether Rafa might become the best player in history.

"Right now," insisted Djokovic, "he has the capabilities to become the best player ever."

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

CBSSports.com: The Joker prevents possibly 'biggest match of all time' at Open

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- Mats Wilander said it would have been "the biggest match of all time," but it won't happen this year -- and maybe never.

Rafael Nadal made it to the U.S. Open final; Roger Federer didn't.

It was the man they call the Joker, Novak Djokovic, who ruined the plot, tore up the script, defeating Federer, 5-7, 6-1, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5, Saturday in a semifinal of brilliance and surprise.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

CBSSports.com: Clijsters unchallenged for title by overmatched Vera Z

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- It wasn't a match, it was an embarrassment. Poor Vera Zvonareva. She makes it to a Grand Slam final, barely has time to break a racket, much less a sweat, and the thing is over.

Two months ago at Wimbledon, she lasted only 1 hour and 7 minutes, getting whipped by Serena Williams, 6-3, 6-2. But compared to Saturday night at the U.S. Open, that seems like forever.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

CBSSports.com: Federer determined to show he still has what it takes to be best

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- Success became a burden. Roger Federer couldn't accept defeat. "I got spoiled," he conceded.

So did everyone. As the wins became losses, the praise became doubt. And criticism.

He had aged, we were reminded. He had slipped. He was finished.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

RealClearSports: Venus: Last Hope in Non-U.S. Open

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

NEW YORK -- The title of her new book is a terse summation of the woman. "Come to Win'' is Venus Williams' approach to life and tennis. And through a career remarkably long, she has won. But not lately.

So much is linked to Venus in the "How come they call it the U.S. Open when nobody in the U.S. can play anymore?'' Other than Serena Williams, who's out with an injury. And other than older sister Venus, who's battling the years along with her opponents.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010

CBSSports.com: This U.S. Open coming up short on Americans

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- One singular sensation. A song lyric from A Chorus Line. A fact of tennis from the not-so-U.S. Open. The last two Americans went back-to-back Tuesday on a court named for a historic American, Arthur Ashe, and only one managed to survive.

Out went Sam Querrey, if stubbornly, and after he disappeared from view, from the draw, on came Venus Williams, who wasn't going anywhere, except to the semifinals.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

CBSSports.com: Wozniacki is an ascending star -- who keeps shining brighter

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- She's not there yet, not holding the winner's trophy. There still are three more matches. "I feel like everything is possible," said Caroline Wozniacki. She is in full flight, an athlete in ascendancy, for whom nothing seems impossible.

This time the opponent wasn't one of those wild cards like Chelsey Gullickson or one of those players from the depths like Kai-Chen Chang, No. 84 in the rankings, or Yung-Jan Chan, No. 77, that Wozniacki was certain to beat.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

CBSSports.com: Loving U.S. Open and New York City ... there's nothing like it

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com

NEW YORK -- The hottest show in town? It isn't "A Little Night Music," as popular as that Sondheim hit may be. It's a little day and night tennis at the U.S. Open, off Broadway and off the charts.

This place, the Billie Jean King Center, is a swirl of forehands and backslapping, oversized tennis balls to get autographed and oversized Carnegie Deli sandwiches to get munched.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

CBSSports.com: Wonderful Woz displays wizardry on and off the court

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By Art Spander
The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com


NEW YORK -- She's the Wonderful Wizard of Woz, a beautiful blend of blonde hair and big backhands who has opponents running and paparazzi chasing.

Caroline Wozniacki has been taking no prisoners and very little time on what Thursday became her summer of love -- or double bagels, if you prefer.

Read the full story here.

© 2010 CBS Interactive. All rights reserved.

RealClearSports.com: Leinart, Roddick ... What Might Have Been

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By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

NEW YORK - Andy Roddick has departed, and apropos of nothing but pertinent to everything, Matt Leinart could be arriving, although the belief is he'll end up in another town.

Two young athletes, two different sports, two levels of frustration.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2010