Venus Williams' Outfit

Venus Williams' Outfit Causes Stir During Wimbledon Win Venus Williams is in the press again for another fashion flub.

Although she readily disposed of Akgul Amanmuradova in a 6-3, 6-1 victory at Wimbledon, sports commentators and critics could talk only of her outfit. Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle writes:

It seemed nobody could quite find the words to describe Venus Williams' outfit on Court 2, except that it conformed to the All England Club's all-white requirement. Draping oddly over her shoulders, open in the back and generally unwieldy, it brought to mind togas, or hospital gowns.

Most agreed that it was an outright disaster, as opposed to Venus' play in a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan. Venus got it done in 59 minutes, committing only five unforced errors and not once facing a break point.

Jenkins reports, " 'It's a jumper,' Venus said of her self-designed attire. 'Jumpers are very now, kind of trendy. The back is kind of, I don't know, like a cutout or a peekaboo. I'm always trying to do something different and fun.' "

Well, since I've been called a fashion nazi for questioning Venus' use of outfits that draw more attention to her clothing and less attention to her fantastic play, I'll refrain from commenting, other than it was a hot mess. Unlike the U.S. Open, at least it wasn't bedazzled. Why Williams insists on making her clothes the focus of her play as opposed to her tremendous skill and ability, I don't know. Perhaps I'm taking her "fun" outfit too seriously, so I'll ask you: Do you think this "jumper" is appropriate for play at Wimbledon.

By: Nsenga Burton

Venus starts strong at Wimbledon LONDON

Venus starts strong at Wimbledon LONDON Day One at the All England Club meant very different things to different players.

For Venus Williams it was a win in what she describes as a white jumper with a peek-a-boo back; for Michael Russell it was five minutes of fame on Centre Court against the world No. 1 and, for Kimiko Date-Krumm, a record-breaking Wimbledon win at the age of 40.

Venus found herself on early call at noon sharp on the new No. 3 Court — a small, compact arena which has replaced the old No. 2 Court, nicknamed the Graveyard of the Stars. Maybe that genie was carted away with the old concrete because Venus had few problems handling the powerful game of Akgul Amanmuradova, a 26-year-old from Uzbekistan whose name is as long as her body is tall. The score was 6-3, 6-1.

Venus put it all down to how well she has been hitting the ball in practice and the matches she had in Eastbourne. "I don't think things could have gone as well for me today had I not been at Eastbourne," she said. "I had some long matches. That was great. I was so happy about that."

Venus admitted that she had been reluctant to call her mother last month when she was making her decision to come back and play in England after her hip injury. "Yeah, I avoided calling my mom because she said 'You're not trying to come back too soon are you?' Bullying me about it. So this time I couldn't come back too soon or I'd be in the same situation as I was in Australia. That was painful; not something to go through twice."

Next up, Venus will be playing someone she admires, the amazing Date-Krumm who became the third oldest woman to win a singles match at Wimbledon when she outplayed Britain's Katie O'Brien 6-0, 7-5.

"I thought it was amazing that she came back," Venus said of the Japanese player who took years off from the tour to get married and lead a 'normal' life. "I watched her results. I always root for her, actually. But this time I'm playing her so I will be rooting for me!"

Date-Krumm started so quickly that she embarrassed O'Brien, winning the first set in just 17 minutes. O'Brien got better but never threatened to prevent her opponent from winning her first match at Wimbledon in 15 years.

"Of course I remember 1996 on Centre Court — I played Steffi Graf and it was darkness. I played two days with her. It was a big, big memory for me. Then after 15 years I win first round. It's already a miracle!"

Michael Russell needed a miracle against Nadal and hopes of achieving one actually flickered faintly for a few minutes. Obviously fortified by an early lunch of chicken breast and rice, the 33-year-old American broke the defending champion's serve and found himself leading 4-2 in front of 15,000 people on the world's most famous tennis court. This must have come as something of a shock for a man who has been playing most of his tennis this year at Challenger level in places like Honolulu and Savannah.

It didn't last as Nadal fought back to clinch a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 victory, but the Spaniard gave his opponent credit. "I think he started playing really well," said Nadal. "Aggressive with good returns. I started, in my opinion, trying to play too fast in the beginning. But after that I started to find more rhythm with the slice, trying to play a bit longer points, trying to hit the forehand when I had the chance."

Inevitably Nadal had plenty of chances and will probably get plenty more when he plays another American, Ryan Sweeting, who produced the day's best comeback, recovering from a two-set deficit to beat Spain's Pablo Andujar 3-6, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-1. But, for the moment, Rafa is refusing to look to far forward.

"Let's talk about today or tomorrow," he said. "Let's not talk about in 10 or 12 days because I don't know if I am here or I am fishing in Mallorca."

It was said humorously but the fact is that many people feel Nadal is not quite as confident right now as he has been in the past. Winning the French Open again certainly helped put him back on track, but there is no doubt his psyche has been bruised by losing in four consecutive ATP Masters Series finals to Novak Djokovic this year — especially as two of them were on clay. Nadal has proved himself to be a fine grass-court player but if things get difficult, as they could quite quickly if he has to face a huge server like Milos Raonic, his level of confidence may be severely tested.

Raonic, incidentally, only discovered who he was playing — Marc Gicquel — 45 minutes before going on Court 14. The Frenchman was called up to replace Italy's Fabio Fognini who was hurt in Paris and Raonic knew very little about him.

"So I had to find a way," said the 20-year-old Canadian, who has enjoyed a meteoric rise up the rankings this year after starting at around 185 before find himself ranked 25th in the world going into Wimbledon. "It was quite difficult because he plays quite low to the ground. It was hard for me to sniff out my chances and be aggressive and come in. But I'm happy with how I responded to it." Raonic won 6-3, 7-6, 6-3.

Raonic is a Pete Sampras fan and remembers watching his idol beat Patrick Rafter in the 2000 final. "I was nine then and I remember a lot about the match. But it wasn't even just that. I could tell you stats about him. I think he holds the record here for winning 88 straight games. Stuff like that about him."

Chances are, in 10 years, we will be talking about records Raonic has set. He looks like a prospective champion.

The weight of expectations was clear for all to see as Andy Murray appeared under the roof on Centre Court to play Daniel Gimeno-Traver as the rain teemed down outside. Gimeno-Traver is a Spaniard who is ranked No. 56 in the world; whose grass court record is 2-7 and who began 2011 by losing in the first round of his first nine tournaments.

Yet, for a set and a half he played better than Murray. And although the Spaniard struck the ball well and scored with some great forehands, he played that well because Murray allowed him to.

To the bewilderment of the crowd and his group of trainers and coaches, Murray let Gimeno-Traver engage him in a baseline battle that might as well have been played on a clay court.

Murray tried one drop shot that missed; never went to the net and returned poorly.
So at 6-4, 3-3 to Gimeno-Traver there was a bit of tension in thre air. But then Murray started to apply a little pressure and the Spaniard, who seemed to suffer from a muscle problem in his right leg, fell apart. Final score? 4-6, 6-3, 6-0, 6-0 — as big a turnaround as you could hope to see. By the end it was exhibition stuff for the Scot.

Mardy Fish had to battle through two tiebreaks before outserving the dogged Spaniard Marcel Granollers 7-6, 7-6, 6-4. Fish found it hard going because of the balls which he described as extremely heavy.

"It was frustrating," he said. "I served and volleyed on, I think, every first serve today. So I didn't get into a lot of long rallies. But it's tough to hit the ball through the court on the forehand. You've got to try and generate a lot of pace and it's hard."

It was hard for Atlanta's Donald Young, too, who found himself facing fellow American Alex Bogomolov Jr. from Chickamauga, Ga. Young is 21 and Bogomolov, 28, and experience showed as the older man came through 7-5, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. All that happened just before the rains came.

By: msn.foxsports.com

Venus, Nadal, Roddick on Centre Court

Venus, Nadal, Roddick on Centre Court: Wimbledon Day 3 Venus Williams, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Roddick will headline play on Centre Court as Day 3 of the 2011 Wimbledon Championships kicks off on Wednesday.

The Centre Court proceedings will commence with five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams as she faces Japan’s Kimiko-Date Krumm in her second-round match-up, which the American is heavily favored to win. Venus, who made a splash on Monday by appearing on court in a fashion-forward jumper, could potentially meet sister Serena Williams in the final round.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal will square off against Ryan Sweeting of the U.S. in the second match of the day on Centre Court. After defeating Michael Russell in the first round, Nadal will be looking to take down another American, and the top seed will have a definite edge over Sweeting, who is coming off of a grueling five-set battle in the first round.

In the final Centre Court match of the day, No. 8 seed Andy Roddick will compete against Romania’s Victor Hanescu. The Romanian has promised to be on his best behavior this year after his unsportsmanlike conduct last year, which involved spitting on a group of spectators when his request for his first-round match to be suspended due to bad light was declined and then retiring from the match in the next game.

by: Erin Frauenhofer

Serena Weeps in Victory

Serena Weeps in Victory, Isner-Mahut II a Bust Tuesday at Wimbledon

Serena Williams let loose with a river of tears following her first-round win at Wimbledon, but it wasn’t over her sister Venus’ cotton baby-jumper outfit.

The younger Williams sister defeated Aravane Rezai 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, and the tears started flowing over her last 12 months of surgeries, medical emergencies and health scares.

“I usually don’t cry, so I don’t understand it, but it’s just been so hard,” said Williams, who cried into her towel after the match and was misty-eyed throughout her post-match interviews. “I never dreamt I would be here right now.”

The result and ensuing tears were a culmination of emotions after not knowing if she would return to tennis following two operations to repair a torn tendon in her right foot, then additional multiple hospitalizations to recover from blood clots in both lungs and a hematoma, which then required more surgery.

“It’s been a disaster year, but you know I’ve been praying and I have my family and I love tennis, and to be able to come back at Wimbledon is pretty awesome,” Williams said. “I didn’t expect to play. I’m just excited. I never cried with joy for anything.”

Former Wimbledon champ and No. 7 seed Maria Sharapova was also a winner Tuesday. She beat fellow Russian and former Top 5er Anna Chakvetadze, whose ground game is formidable on the grass, but whose puff-ball second serve Sharapova pounded like a locked glass double door prior to the opening of a sale day at Bloomingdales, 6-2, 6-1.

“I played against an opponent that’s been in the Top 10 before,” Sharapova said. “Hasn’t had the best results this year. But you don’t quite know what to expect. I’m sure, you know, she’d come out in the match and have nothing to lose. I thought she played a really good match, and I really had to step it up.”

Virtually the entire Top 10 of the WTA tour were in action Tuesday due to the Monday rains, with No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, No. 3 Li Na, No. 4 Victoria Azarenka, No. 8 Petra Kvitova, and No. 9 Marion Bartoli all straight-set winners joining Serena and Maria.

“I thought it was very difficult,” Wozniacki said. “First, it was my first match on grass, a real match. But then, you know, the wind blowing everywhere, I felt like I was throwing the ball up quite a few times for the serve. But I thought actually I served pretty well. But anyways, the conditions were pretty tough. There was one point where I hit the ball and it almost didn’t come over and then I hit the next one and it just flew.”

The highest-seeded upset victim Tuesday was No. 10 Sam Stosur, upended 6-3, 6-4 by Hungarian Melinda “The Fifth Element” Czink.

Spanish all-courter Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez was also an upset winner over No. 15 seed and former No. 1-ranked Jelena Jankovic 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

Among other results of note, American Melanie Oudin was brutalized 6-0, 6-1 by No. 18 seed and former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic; No. 25 Daniela Hantuchova bounced back from injury with a win over Russian qualifier Vitalia Diatchenko after dropping the first set; No. 31 Lucie Safarova won the all-Czech all-Lucie battle against Lucie Hradecka after dropping the first; and India’s Sania Mirza crashed out against Virginie Razzano in three.

Matches to look for Wednesday are tough out Kimiko Date-Krumm vs. (23) Venus Williams, an all-Russian in Elena Vesnina vs. (2) Vera Zvonareva, Anabel “Funky Cold” Medina Garrigues vs. (16) Julia “Gorgeous” Goerges, and another all-Russian in (14) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova vs. Nadia Petrova.
 
On the men’s side Tuesday the hubbub centered around John Isner vs. Nicolas Mahut II, a rematch of last year’s 11-hour, three-day contest that set the record for the longest pro match.

The match fittingly began with a first-set tiebreak, with both players picking up where they left off last year. Isner ran away with the opening-set tiebreak, then the match 7-6(4), 6-2, 7-6(6).

“I’m just really thrilled to have won that third set, because if I lose that third set, then chances are we don’t finish,” Isner said. “You know, our match goes to another second day. So obviously you want to be through to the next round. So tomorrow I don’t have anything to do. Just gonna practice and get ready. It’s a nice feeling I don’t have to sleep on finishing this match.”

Another American came through on Tuesday when Andy Roddick, who has yet to claim the Wimbledon crown after being turned back three times in the final by Roger Federer, patiently outlasted the forehand-centric German Andreas Beck 6-4, 7-6(6), 6-3.

“He certainly had an obvious game plan and executed it for most of the day,” Roddick said of Beck. “He wasn’t going to rally much. He was just going to take his shots and go really aggressive and it worked most of the day. Normally when you have that mindset, you can count on someone making errors in bunches. Luckily he made two when he was up in that breaker.”

Other Top 10 winners in their opening-round matches were No. 2 Novak Djokovic beating Frenchman Jeremy Chardy in straights, No. 3 Roger Federer defeating Mikhail Kukushkin in straights, No. 5 Robin Soderling downing German Philipp Petzschner in four, and No. 7 David Ferrer straight-setting France’s Benoit Paire.

“Rafa and Roger are two biggest favorites to win this tournament because of the fact that they’ve been so dominant the last couple years, especially on the grasscourts,” Djokovic said. “They are the only two players who have been winning this tournament for quite some time. Obviously, there is Andy Murray, who is home favorite. He’s playing really well on grasscourts, Wimbledon, last couple years. It’s true there is a different approach to this year’s Wimbledon from my side because I’m playing, I think, best tennis of my life in the last six months.”

Avoiding upsets were No. 18 Mikhail Youzhny edging Juan Monaco 6-4 in the fifth, No. 21 Fernando “Hot Sauce” Verdasco saving a match point to ground Radek “The Worm” Stepanek 9-7 in the fifth, and No. 32 Marcos Baghdatis outlasting James Blake 6-4 in the fifth.

The four seeds that did fall by the wayside Monday were No. 22 Alexandr Dolgopolov beaten in four by Chilean Fernando “Gonzo” Gonzalez, No. 23 Janko Tipsarevic retiring with a groin injury against “Dr.” Ivo Karlovic, Croat Ivan Ljubicic booting fellow Croat and No. 27 seed Marin Cilic in four, and Aussie Bernard Tomic straight-setting No. 29 Nikolay Davydenko.

Unseeded winners of note out of the first round were Xavier “X-Man” Malisse, Brazilian Ricardo Mello “Yello” beating Canadian Frank Dancevic in five, Andreas “Don’t Be a” Haider-Maurer, “Next” American Ryan Harrison, and former All England Club champ Lleyton Hewitt beating Kei Nishikori in four.

Matches to look for Wednesday are (1) Rafael Nadal vs. Ryan Sweeting, Victor Hanescu vs. (8) Andy Roddick, Julien “The United Colors of” Benneteau vs. (6) Tomas Berdych, (24) Juan Martin Del Potro vs. Olivier “The Roach” Rochus, Gilles Muller vs. (31) Milos Raonic, Rainer Schuettler vs. Feliciano “F-Lo” Lopez, Dudi “Where’s My Car?” Sela vs. (15) Gilles Simon, and Ernests Gulbis vs. Dmitry Tursunov (to finish).

By: Staff

Wimbledon 2011

Wimbledon 2011: Live - Venus Williams v Kimiko Date-Krumm. Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 3-2 Date-Krum If you're looking for signs which way this match might go, Venus has just held to love in a tenth of the time it took her opponent to hang on to her previous serve. Smart cash still on the six-time champion.

Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 2-2 Date-Krumm
Quite a few hats being worn in the crowd, which is surprising considering we're virtually indoors. I guess if you've made the effort to select one/purchase, you want to make the most of it. Superior hitting from Venus, point for her third break of serve on the bounce - huzzah! first ace of the match from KDK, and the patrons applaud her pluck. Backhand out wide - called out, and with it the game, but hold on - the umpire has overruled. In, clean winner, off the hook. Wide again, another break point, saved with a hurried Venus backhand into the net. Great game, this, another rapier exchange as Venus flashes a winner down the line and KDK punches away a volley. 10 minute game, match-time to two hours 16 mins. Gripping.

Venus 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 2-1 Date-Krumm
Come on Kimiko - what's left in the locker? A dipping forehand cross court, that's what - sweetly struck, and the crowd love that. Venus to the net, long legs flashing... oh, a nick on the net-cord, and KDK's feeble backhand skips right over Venus's waiting flay-trap. Chance here for an unlikely break-back - first serve into the net, second serve... into the net! Break-back it is, much to the crowd's delight.

By:Tom Fordyce
BBC Sport at Wimbledon