Justine Henin can take one of two things away from beating Amelie Mauresmo 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (2) Saturday in a classic final at the Wimbledon warm-up in Eastbourne: she can beat Amelie (who beat her in last year's Wimbledon final) on grass OR she is really going to have to fight for the crown as Mauresmo seems to have regained her form and fitness after a dismal year so far.
The two top seeds were on court for more than two and a half hours before Henin triumphed and after the match she said:“I had a very good week and I am happy with how I am playing. I have much more feeling in my game than this time last year. It was very difficult conditions for both of us. I am tired now more because of the wind than because of the tough match.”
The title was the 34th of Henin's career and her fifth this year. To win it, she fought back from 5-3 down in the final set, with Mauresmo serving for the match at 5-4.
If Mauresmo felt any bitter disappointment, she wasn't showing it saying: “It is always a pleasure to come here to Eastbourne and I have really enjoyed this week. “I am disappointed not to win the tournament but I have played quite well and this has been very good preparation for me.”

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 12:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Justine Henin likes to play down the importance of completing a career grand slam. But I am quite certain the ambitious Belgian, ranked number one in the world, wants to win Wimbledon very badly to go along with a trophy collection that includes 4 French Opens, the 2005 Australian Open, the 2003 U.S. Upen and the 2004 Olympic gold medal. She's made to finals at the All England Club but could have a big obstacle this year in the quarterfinals: two-time champ Serena Williams who HAS won all of tennis' slams.
Henin is committed and fit and, I think is the one to beat. But there are at least three other women who could also be holding the championship plate over their head on finals day.

Maria Sharapova, seeded second, has had a lackluster season mostly due to injury but she can rise to the occasion at a major which she displayed in winning Wimbledon in 2004 and last year's U.S. Open. She was blown away by Serena in the finals of the Australian Open in January but gritted her way to the semifinals at the French a few weeks ago and made it to the Birmingham final last Sunday. Defending champion Amelie Mauresmo has had few highlights since her win here last year. She has been injured but I also gotta figure that getting the grand slam monkey off her back (she won two major in 2006) might have affected her motivation. I think if she can beat Henin in the final at Eastbourne tomorrow, I'll feel a lot better about her chances of going all the way at the Big W. She's got the game, she needs to have the motivation.
Then there is Serena Williams, seeded way down at number 7 as she continues to lack in points due to how little she plays. It drives me crazy that her ranking is not higher because it means a Henin-Serena quarterfinal instead of final. That's what happened at the French Open where Justine won in straight sets. Serena, unless she pulls up lame, should be able to put up a much bigger fight on the grass. She never plays warm-up tourneys so it's tough to assess her form but we know she can come from nowhere and win a grand slam. If she can get past Henin - and I think she can - she will win the tournament.
Three-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams is seeded even lower than her little sister at 24. Because of that, she could face Sharapova in the fourth round which is too early for two former champs. Venus beat Maria on her way to the 2005 title and when they face off, it's a result that is tough to predict. I sxay whoever wins that match has a good chance of making the final against either Serena or Henin.
My pick to win: Serena Williams

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 01:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Roger Federer may be in the dumps over losing another French Open final but he has every reason to be motivated at Wimbledon which begins Monday. The world's top-ranked player has the chance to become the first man since Bjorn Borg to win five consecutive titles as the All England Club. But he will likely have to get past third-ranked Andy Roddick in the semifinals. Roddick won at Queen's Club on Sunday and is keen to avenge his losses to Federer in three of the last four Wimbledons. I think Roddick is ripe to upset Federer if he plays at his highest level and Federer is a notch below his. Andy will have to play out of his head, serving exceptionally and making it to the net on the right occasions.

Then there is second=seeded Rafael Nadal who shocked everyone last year by making it to the final and taking Federer to four sets. Nadal has a champion's heart and the athleticsm to win on grass. He's also so young that I don't think he will be too fatigued from the clay court season. I can see him making the final again but I could also see a grass-court specialist taking him out in an earlier round like at Queen's Club.
So that's it. Those are the only guys who can possibly win Wimbledon this year. Why bother with the others? You have past champ Lleyton Hewitt always ready to make a run and Marat Safin (who Federer could meet in the third round) can always decide to be a genius and add to his 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open. I do give every chance for fourth-seeded Novak Djokovic to make it to the semifinals with a solid chance at upsetting Nadal if they get there. He made the French semis and beat Nadal on his way to winning the title in Miami.
But I'm quite certain it comes down to Federer, Nadal or Roddick as champion.
My pick: Andy Roddick

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 01:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

They played in the Wimbledon final a year ago and now Justine Henin and Amelie Mauresmo are just one match away from meeting in the final of the Eastbourne event on grass.
Since Wimbledon, Mauresmo's fortunes have sunk due to injury while Henin has weathered a divorce but has rebounded into top form by winning the French Open earlier this month.At Eastbourne, the top-ranked Belgian made few mistakes in defeating Nicole Vaidisova 6-2, 6-2 while Mauresmo, now ranked fourth, defeated Shahar Peer of Israel 6-3, 6-4.
"I was very happy the way I played, and the way I served especially," Henin said. "My attitude and the way I played tactically was very good and she never really had the time to get a rhythm and really be into the match."
Mauresmo recovered from an early break in the first set, and fell behind 4-2 in the second set before rallying to win the next four games.
"I lost a little bit of intensity in the beginning of the second set and she was able to break me," Mauresmo said. "But I really focused and got the intensity back and made sure I was going to break her back right away and finish really strong."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Can you feel it in the air??? Only days before the start of Wimbledon. Roger Federer hasn't been seen in public since his French Open final defeat a coupla Sundays ago. He withdrew from the tourney in Halle but was back at the All England Club on Thursday practicing on the grass courts. Also practicing was Andy Roddick (below) who won Queen's Club Sunday and is considered one of the few players who might be able to stop Federer's quest to win five consecutive Wimbledons.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova plays a game with local school children against a back drop of London's Tower Bridge, 21 June 2007, as she promotes Sochi's 2014 bid to become the first Russian resort to host the Olympic and Paralympic games. Sharapova believes her grasscourt game is shaping up well a week ahead of Wimbledon, which begins 25 June 2007, despite her defeat in the Birmingham final at the hands of Serbia's Jelena Jankovic. AFP PHOTO/CHRIS YOUNG

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Would you want to face these two in a doubles match??? Well, good luck to the rest of the women's doubles draw at Wimbledon 2007 because the Williams sisters are back on the same side of the court and as a duo, they really can't be beat. They are doubles together for the first time since 2003 at Wimbledon after requesting a wild card from the All England Club which, of course, said YES! YES! YES! They've won the Wimbledon doubles championship twice, in 2000 and 2002, part of a career Grand Slam in doubles that also includes the U.S. Open and French Open in 1999, and the Australian Open in 2001 and 2003. They also won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic games where Venus won the gold in singles. In singles, Venus has won three Wimbledons and Serena two.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 07:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I really wonder what has stalled Guillermo Coria's career more: his excruciating five-set loss to Gaston Gaudio in the 2004 French Open final (he held two match points) or the drug-related suspension that kept him off the men's tour for seven months.
Well, since he can't sue Gaudio, he sued Universal Nutriion, the New Jersey-based vitamin maker he blamed for the positive steroid test that cost him millions in earnings.
On Wednesday, the parties settled the suit for an undisclosed amount a day before Coria was set to testify. Coria had charged that a contaminated multivitamin not only kept him from competing for seven months in 2001 and 2002, but besmirched his reputation and cost him at least $10 million in prize money, bonuses, appearance fees and endorsements.
According to the Associated Press: Richard Grossman, a lawyer for New Brunswick-based Universal in central New Jersey, on Tuesday said the company is not to blame for any contamination. He told the jury Universal took care to prevent steroids from being mixed into batches of vitamins.
Coria, once ranked No. 3 in the world, did not speak to reporters as he left the courtroom. Lawyers for him and the company declined to give any details on the deal.
The judge said the parties agree with the finding of a tribunal of the ATP, the governing body of men's tennis, that the positive test was caused by "inadvertent and unknowing ingestion of a banned substance."
Coria hugged his lawyers, shook hands with Universal personnel, and the judge, who said, "Good luck to you."
Coria, 25, was out of tennis from August 2001 to March 2002. He reached his highest ranking, No. 3, in May 2004, the month of the French final. Clearly disheartened and plagued by injuries, Coria dropped out of the top 100 in 2006 and is currently ranked 347th by the ATP.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 06:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Nope. It's actually the tennis star meeting his own Madame Tussauds wax figure at The Boodles Challenge tennis tournament at The Stoke Park Club on June 20, 2007 in Slough, England. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 05:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wimbledon is just a few days away! The All England Club announced its seedings earlier today but I won't be writing my preview with predictions until later this week when the draw comes out. Which side of the draw players fall could make a big difference and it's my hope that we don't have matches like a Serena Williams-Justine Henin quarterfinal in Paris. Serena has GOT to play more and get her ranking to a realistic two or three in the world.
So, no surprise: four-time defending champion Roger Federer and top-ranked Justine Henin were seeded No. 1. Henin is gunning for the only slam she has never won while Federer will try and match Bjorn Borg's streak of five consecutive titles.
Rafael Nadal, last year's runner-up, was seeded second and deserves to be. Wimbledon can adjust its seedings and be different from world rankings in order to reflect a player's prowess on grass. Serena was not given a boost from her number seven ranking despite being a two-time champion. I think that's fair though since most of the players ranked above her are all strong on the turf: 2. Maria Sharapova (2004 Wimbledon winner), 3. Jelena Jankovic, winner of last week's warm-up in Birmingham and 4. defending champion Amelie Mauresmo.
The top 18 women are seeded according to their WTA ranking but three-time former champion Venus Williams was given a break by being seeded 24th, seven places above her ranking. Venus has reached ther final five times in all.

On the men's side, two-time finalist Andy Roddick was seeded third while fifth-ranked Novak Djokovic was moved up to the No. 4 seeding after winning in Estoril, Miami and Adelaide this year and losing to Nadal in the French Open semifinals.
Eleventh-ranked Tomas Berdych was seeded No. 7 while Marcos Baghdatis, who lost to Nadal in straight sets in last year's semifinals, was seeded at No. 10, six places above his ATP ranking. Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, was No. 16, three spots above his ranking.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 01:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Men's number one Roger Federer might need a French Open to complete a career grand slam, but women's nuymber one Justine Henin is also missing only one link in the same feat: Wimbledon. She's been to the final twice, losing in three sets both times to Venus Williams and Amelie Mauresmo, respectively.
Will this be the year? The four-time French Open winner certainly wants it and is playing in the grass-court warm-up at Eastbourne to prepare. Nine-time champ Martina Navratilova always played there and most years, preceded her Wimbledon win with a victory at Eastbounre.
"This year I really see Eastbourne as a preparation tournament for Wimbledon," Henin said. "I'll just try and readjust a few things with my game and work a lot on my serve for sure, and try to be an aggressive player on my serve-and-volley game."

The only women to have won all four of tennis' grand slam tournaments are Serena Williams, Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Margaret Court and Maureen Connoly who along with Graf and Court did it in a songle calendar year.
"If I win it (Wimbledon), if I don't win it, another life is going to start in a few years probably, the real life," Henin said during a press conference Monday. "It would be great and make me part of history, but that's not my biggest motivation. I would love to win it because emotionally it would be fantastic for the good people around me, but that's it."

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 05:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Remember when Mark Phillippoussis was a threat to win grand slam titles? With all of his injuries and now that he's reached the age of 30, I think it's safe to say that those days are pretty much over. Not with guys with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at the top of the game and the likes of Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt chasing them.
But one thing Mark remains is one of the most eligible bachelors around. The Aussie has found a home in Las Vegas, Nevada and is at a turning point in his life. He wants to find a special someone. He begins his quest tonight as the star of the reality show "Age of Love" on NBC. It airs at 9 p.m. and the former U.S. Open and Wimbledon finalist will have all kinds of women vying for hia affections...

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 05:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Andy Roddick, my pick to win Wimbledon, rewarded my faith in him by winning the Artois Championships for the fourth time in his career Sunday. But he had to earn it the hard way with a gritty 4-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-6 (7-2) triumph over Frenchman Nicolas Mahut. He was match point down in the second set tie-breaker.
Whew!
It is Andy's first tournament win of the year and the 22nd overall. Roddick joins Boris Becker, John McEnroe and Lleyton Hewitt as players to have won this Wimbledon tuneup four times.

Posted by Greg Hernandez at 09:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)